Getting Better with Jonathan Van Ness

You're invited to a very special episode of Getting Curious, and the dress code is whatever makes you feel stunning! The guest of honor is the CFDA designer Christian Siriano, who launched his brand in 2008 and has since risen to the top of the fashion world, dressing icons like FLOTUS Michelle Obama, Billy Porter, and Lady Gaga. Christian joins Jonathan to discuss his groundbreaking designs, his commitment to body diversity and inclusive pricing, and the more than 25,000 masks he and his team have produced for New York hospitals since March. Follow Christian on Twitter and Instagram @CSiriano, and learn more about his collections and COVID-19 response here. Find out what today’s guest and former guests are up to by following us on Instagram and Twitter @CuriousWithJVN. Transcripts for each episode are available at JonathanVanNess.com. Check out Getting Curious merch at PodSwag.com. Listen to more music from Quiñ by heading over to TheQuinCat.com. Jonathan is on Instagram and Twitter @JVN and @Jonathan.Vanness on Facebook. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Journalist and author Mary O'Hara returns to Getting Curious to discuss her reporting on poverty, her new book The Shame Game: Overturning the Toxic Poverty Narrative, and her work reimagining how we talk about poverty with Project Twist-It. She and Jonathan discuss her own experience of childhood poverty, common misconceptions around poverty in the United States and the United Kingdom, and how we can start to see social services as springboards for success. You can find Mary O’Hara’s writing at MaryOHara.eu and in The Guardian. Follow her on Twitter @MaryOHara1, and learn more about The Shame Game here and Project Twist-It here. Find out what today’s guest and former guests are up to by following us on Instagram and Twitter @CuriousWithJVN. Transcripts for each episode are available at JonathanVanNess.com. Check out Getting Curious merch at PodSwag.com. Listen to more music from Quiñ by heading over to TheQuinCat.com. Jonathan is on Instagram and Twitter @JVN and @Jonathan.Vanness on Facebook. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Queen, did you know that there was a literal doctor teaching a class on happiness at literally Yale?! Dr. Laurie Santos, a professor of psychology at Yale University and the host of The Happiness Lab podcast, gives Jonathan a redux version of her iconic Yale course about the science of happiness and shares tips for boosting our spirits even when we're not near the people and places that usually bring us joy. It's time to get in touch with our vagus nerves! Follow Dr. Laurie Santos on Twitter @lauriesantos, and check out her podcast The Happiness Lab. Find out what today’s guest and former guests are up to by following us on Instagram and Twitter @CuriousWithJVN. Transcripts for each episode are available at JonathanVanNess.com. Check out Getting Curious merch at PodSwag.com. Listen to more music from Quiñ by heading over to TheQuinCat.com. Jonathan is on Instagram and Twitter @JVN and @Jonathan.Vanness on Facebook. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Professor Pascale R. Bos joins Jonathan to discuss the Holocaust and WW2. In part two of their conversation, Jonathan and Dr. Bos explore how the US became involved in the war, the Berlin Wall, and why it's so important to learn from history. Pascale R. Bos is an Associate Professor of Germanic Studies, Netherlandic Studies, and Comparative Literature at The University of Texas, Austin. Find out what today’s guest and former guests are up to by following us on Instagram and Twitter @CuriousWithJVN. Transcripts for each episode are available at JonathanVanNess.com. Check out Getting Curious merch at PodSwag.com. Listen to more music from Quiñ by heading over to TheQuinCat.com. Jonathan is on Instagram and Twitter @JVN and @Jonathan.Vanness on Facebook. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Professor Pascale R. Bos joins Jonathan to discuss the Holocaust and WW2. In part one of our first ever two-part episode, Jonathan and Professor Bos discuss how the term Holocaust came to be, the alarming statistics reflecting a surprising number of people who’ve never heard of the Holocaust, and examine how Hitler came into power. Tune in to next week’s episode for the conclusion of their incredible conversation. Pascale R. Bos is an Associate Professor of Germanic Studies, Netherlandic Studies, and Comparative Literature at The University of Texas, Austin. Find out what today’s guest and former guests are up to by following us on Instagram and Twitter @CuriousWithJVN. Transcripts for each episode are available at JonathanVanNess.com. Check out Getting Curious merch at PodSwag.com. Listen to more music from Quiñ by heading over to TheQuinCat.com. Jonathan is on Instagram and Twitter @JVN and @Jonathan.Vanness on Facebook. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Comedian Mawaan Rizwan got his start creating YouTube sketches that turned his mother into a Bollywood Star. Now, as an established writer and actor, he has written for Netflix’s “Sex Education” and can be seen in the upcoming “Two Weeks to Live” on Sky. In the fall of 2019, he joined Jonathan on their Road to Beijing tour opening in sold-out theaters across the UK, Ireland, Australia, and New Zealand. On a tour stop in Brisbane, Jonathan and Mawaan sat down to discuss his family’s immigration story, visiting Pakistan as an out adult, and how comedy has become a form of therapy for him. Follow Mawaan on Instagram and Twitter @MawaanR, subscribe to his YouTube channel, and visit mawaan.co.uk for updates on where to catch him live! Find out what today’s guest and former guests are up to by following us on Instagram and Twitter @CuriousWithJVN. Transcripts for each episode are available at JonathanVanNess.com. Check out Getting Curious merch at PodSwag.com. Listen to more music from Quiñ by heading over to TheQuinCat.com. Jonathan is on Instagram and Twitter @JVN and @Jonathan.Vanness on Facebook. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Lawyer, historian, and author Robert Icenhauer-Ramirez sits down with Jonathan to discuss the Civil War and its aftermath, including what happened to confederate officials, the process of abolishing slavery, Lincoln’s presidency, and much more. Professor Icenhauer-Ramirez's book “Treason on Trial: United States v. Jefferson Davis” exposes the legality behind why no one was held accountable for starting the Civil War. Find out what today’s guest and former guests are up to by following us on Instagram and Twitter @CuriousWithJVN. Transcripts for each episode are available at JonathanVanNess.com. Check out Getting Curious merch at PodSwag.com. Listen to more music from Quiñ by heading over to TheQuinCat.com. Jonathan is on Instagram and Twitter @JVN and @Jonathan.Vanness on Facebook. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Matthew Riemer & Leighton Brown are the co-creators of the Instagram @LGBT_History, and co-authors of the book “We Are Everywhere.” Both use powerful images of love, protest, inclusivity, and stories, to spotlight movements and people throughout Queer history. They joined Jonathan to discuss why they started these projects, the importance of visibility to avoid erasure and share some interesting stories about important figures from the past! Follow Matthew and Leighton on Instagram and Twitter @LGBT_History, and find out more about their book at www.QueerHistory.com. Find out what today’s guest and former guests are up to by following us on Instagram and Twitter @CuriousWithJVN. Listen to more music from Quiñ by heading over to TheQuinCat.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Carson Tueller is an LGBTQ+ and Disability Advocate. His life changed in 2013 when an accident left him paralyzed. Through his journey, he’s brought to light many issues the Disabled community faces including shame, how to talk about sexuality and human worth. He joined Jonathan to explain what ableism is, how he came out to his family after serving his LDS mission, and why investing in accessibility is great for everyone if anyone plans on getting older! Follow Carson’s journey on Twitter and Instagram @Carson_Tueller. To find out more about Carson's work, visit www.carsontueller.com. Find out what today’s guest and former guests are up to by following us on Instagram and Twitter @CuriousWithJVN. Transcripts for each episode are available at JonathanVanNess.com. Check out Getting Curious merch at PodSwag.com. Listen to more music from Quiñ by heading over to TheQuinCat.com. Jonathan is on Instagram and Twitter @JVN and @Jonathan.Vanness on Facebook. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Tanya Dominguez is a Lead Inspector and Senior Manager for the RSPCA NSW in Sydney Australia. She’s provided care to wild and domestic animals for over 21 years and has always been passionate about animal care education. She joined Jonathan backstage at their last comedy show in Australia to discuss what she does as an RSPCA Inspector, how the wildlife is doing since the bushfires started, and why it’s so important to adopt, not shop! Follow RSPCA and Tanya on Twitter and Instagram @RSPCANSW and on Facebook @RSPCANewSouthWales. Visit https://www.rspcansw.org.au/adopt/ to find out more about RSPCA’s adoption program. Find out what today’s guest and former guests are up to by following us on Instagram and Twitter @CuriousWithJVN. Transcripts for each episode are available at JonathanVanNess.com. Check out Getting Curious merch at PodSwag.com. Listen to more music from Quiñ by heading over to TheQuinCat.com. Jonathan is on Instagram and Twitter @JVN and @Jonathan.Vanness on Facebook. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices