If I'm Honest with Julia Landauer

Lindsay Shookus spent 20 years helping some of the biggest names in entertainment shine on Saturday Night Live. But what happens when you leave the job that defined your identity?

In this episode, Julia sits down with seven-time Emmy Award-winning producer, executive coach, and speaker Lindsay Shookus to talk about reinvention, resilience, and what it really means to bet on yourself.

Lindsay shares the lessons she learned from two ...

This week on If I’m Honest, Julia sits down with DJ, entrepreneur, investor, and creative strategist Mick Batyske for a candid conversation about building a career that evolves with you.

From teaching himself how to DJ in college to performing for brands, celebrities, and global events, Mick shares the real story behind turning creativity into a sustainable business. He opens up about moving from Cleveland to New York, naviga...

What does it take to reinvent yourself, professionally and personally, without losing trust in who you are? 

In this episode of If I’m Honest, Julia sits down with longtime friend Yasmin Shahida, Senior Director of PR at Oatly, to talk about career pivots, corporate communications, confidence, and the power of embracing discomfort. Yasmin shares her journey from broadcast journalism at CBS News to shaping brand storytelling ...

Welcome to Season 4 of If I’m Honest with Julia Landauer.

In this special kickoff episode, Julia shares the personal and professional journey behind the evolution of the podcast, from stepping away from a 20+ year racing career to rebuilding identity, purpose, and life outside the driver’s seat.

Julia opens up about the grief and uncertainty that came with leaving racing behind, the lessons she learned navigating c...

As season three of If I’m Honest with Julia Landauer comes to a close, I share five impactful lessons I learned throughout 2024. From navigating corporate life to appreciating impressive personal moments among friends, I reflect on a year of growth and transition. I discuss why good communication is so tough (and how to improve it), the importance of cherishing your unique perspective, and the comforting reminder that everyon...

This week on If I’m Honest, I sit down with Francesca Hogi, a former-lawyer-turned-matchmaker and love coach. A fellow contestant from Survivor Season 26, which is how we met, Francesca discuses her insights on redefining love and navigating modern dating. She shares how a turning point in her 30s inspired her to leave a life she didn’t love and jump into something new, even without a clear plan. We explore her lifelong...

Sequel, the femcare company behind The Spiral Tampon, is the first company in 80 years (!) to redesign the tampon. Sequel was founded by Stanford graduates and athletes, and I’m joined by co-founder and CMO Amanda Calabrese on this week’s episode of If I’m Honest with Julia Landauer. We discuss how personal experiences with menstruation in sports led Amanda and her co-founder Greta Meyer to research other people&r...

Our culture seems to be hitting another spike in our obsession with reducing the effects of aging. In this week’s episode of If I’m Honest with Julia Landauer, I dive into some of the fuss about aging. I talk about Bryan Johnson, the man whose goal of “don’t die” leads him to spend $2M a year to measure and lower his biological age and increase longevity. I describe all the content, ads, and services w...

Gary Klutt, a winner in the NASCAR Canada Series, podcast host, real estate developer, and wellness enthusiast joins me on this week’s episode of If I’m Honest with Julia Landauer. Having originally met in the 2016 NASCAR Next class, we discuss all things racing, career dreams, healthy living, family, and racers who crashed us out at Mosport. Gary shares how his racing career started in a parking lot in a go-kart, the s...

When my communications coach asked me how I come down off the high of giving a keynote, I was perplexed because I had never tried to actively come down off that feeling. That discussion got me thinking about natural highs, which I explore in this episode of If I’m Honest with Julia Landauer. I talk about the euphoric feeling of a natural high, the science behind how our brains produce this sensation, and things we can do in o...

Ash Kalita (known as ashvandelay on social media) is a motorsports Twitch streamer and creator who joins me on this week’s episode of If I’m Honest with Julia Landauer. A fellow New Yorker who also went to one of the specialized public high schools, we immediately bonded over our similar backgrounds that unexpectedly led to careers in motorsports. Ash shares how her Polish heritage led her to root for Robert Kubica in F...

This episode of If I’m Honest with Julia Landauer dives into our first topic around the mental side of human performance: emotions and emotional intelligence. Historically, emotions were seen as a hindrance to success, and only recently are we shifting that ideology. Prompted by a David Brooks op-ed that explains how we actively need emotions to make good decisions, I dive into the benefits of properly processing and regulati...

If I’m Honest with Julia Landauer is back for Season 3! In this episode, I give a recap and opinion on recent NASCAR, Formula 1, and Olympics news. I dive into why I’m bummed that Hailie Deegan isn’t racing full-time anymore, Lewis Hamilton’s comeback, and why it felt so important for USA Women’s Basketball to take the Gold Medal in the Olympics. I also address the fact that we are a mixed-allegiance h...

Episode 50 of If I’m Honest with Julia Landauer marks the end of Season 2! In this episode, Julia recaps her annual Sibling Trip to Iceland, including all of her recommendations for restaurants and things to see and do. Julia then highlights some of her favorite moments from Season 2, specific episodes that listeners loved, and shares what’s yet to come.

Restaurants Julia referenced:

• Otto Matur & Drykkur: https...

As the only person to host and compete on American Ninja Warrior, Alex Weber knows a lot about storytelling and competition. He joins Julia Landauer on this week’s episode of If I’m Honest, talking about his journey from D1 Lacrosse player to entertainment host and competitor to keynote speaker. Rooted in grit, perseverance, diligence, and persistence, Alex explains how he trains for American Ninja Warrior, what he call...

What makes team members feel secure enough to push boundaries? How does leadership style impact a team’s willingness to take risks in the pursuit of progress? A lot of this comes down to “psychological safety,” a term coined by Amy Edmondson. In a recent virtual keynote, after being asked about psychological safety as it relates to team dynamics, Julia had to admit that she hadn’t heard the term before and w...

Does Julia miss racing? What does a good relationship boil down to? What are the metrics and measures it takes to build a team in NASCAR? What podcasts do I listen to?

You asked great questions, and Julia hopes she delivered satisfactory answers to these questions and more on this week’s episode of If I’m Honest with Julia Landauer.

In this Ask Me Anything, Julia tackles the questions you sent in over social media, rang...

Many athletes have a ritual they perform before competition. But why is that? In this episode of If I’m Honest, Julia Landauer explores why pre-competition rituals are so important for performance. Julia shares research from the University of Toronto that explains the effects rituals have on brain activity, she hypothesizes what happens if we don’t perform our rituals, and describes her own pre-race rituals. Julia also ...

Sports broadcasters are “armed with being good storytellers, delivering the facts, doing peoples’ athletic performances justice, and having fun,” according to NBC broadcaster Leigh Diffey. With over 25 years of international broadcast experience across many different sports, Leigh Diffey is a master storyteller on this week’s guest on If I’m Honest with Julia Landauer. Discussing how broadcasting fell ...