Getting Curious With Jonathan Van Ness

Do you know where your donor dollars and time are actually going? Activist, thought leader, and founder of the social impact campaign YouAreEssential Ashlee Marie Preston joins Jonathan to discuss the trillion-dollar industry that is the US non-profit sector, the ways in which non-profit organizations can undercut to the aims of grassroots political movements, and how we can work to dismantle a system that doesn’t always serve the communities it claims to protect. Follow Ashlee Marie Preston on Instagram @ashleemariepreston and Twitter @AshleeMPreston. Learn more about YouAreEssential at YouAreEssential.org, or on Instagram and Twitter @YAEOrg. 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 Fac

This episode is an All-Around winner, because Jonathan is talking with six-time Olympic medalist and captain of the Fierce Five and Final Five gymnastics teams, Aly Raisman. This isn’t a Level 10 conversation about gymnastics, gardening, and more—it’s certified Elite. Follow Aly on Instagram @alyraisman and Twitter @aly_raisman, and learn more about her book Fierce. 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

This week's Getting Curious is a show like no other, since Jonathan is joined by the iconic Tony, Grammy, and Emmy award winner Audra McDonald. She and Jonathan discuss the critical work she's doing as the co-founder of Black Theatre United, an organization that is advocating for equity in the theater world and the nation. They also discuss how theatergoers can continue to support the performing arts community, during the Covid-19 pandemic and beyond. (And stick around for the third act to hear Audra's recommendations for what to watch and listen to once you're done with the episode!) Follow Audra on Instagram @audramcdonald and Twitter @AudraEqualityMc, and learn more about Black Theatre United at www.blacktheatreunited.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 TheQ

The 2020 election season has been anything but routine. To coach us through all the ways we can help flip seats, add balance to any check on our democracy, and win big on election day, Jonathan is turning to political strategist Ben O'Keefe. Ben is a human rights activist, progressive strategist, and founder of the impact entertainment company Give A Damn. He is a former Senior Aide to Elizabeth Warren’s presidential campaign, and currently the Impact Producer on the forthcoming Untitled Stacey Abrams documentary from Amazon Studios. Follow Ben on Twitter and Instagram at @benjaminokeefe and at www.benjaminokeefe.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 yo

This week on Getting Curious, Dr. Kira Thurman and Ashleigh Gordon join Jonathan to discuss the remarkable work of Black classical composers and musicians through history and today. Dr. Thurman is an assistant professor of History and Germanic Languages and Literatures at the University of Michigan. Ashleigh Gordon is the co-founder, Artistic and Executive Director, and violist of Castle of our Skins, a Boston-based concert and educational series devoted to celebrating Black Artistry through music. Follow Dr. Thurman on Twitter @kira_thurman, and follow Ashleigh on Instagram @violashe and at www.violashe.com. Keep up with Castle of our Skins on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook at @castleskins, and at www.castleskins.org. Castle of our Skins has an incredible resources page with organizations, ensembles, composers, and more. 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. Ch

On this week’s Getting Curious, Jonathan is taking the creepy out of crawly with entomologist and evolutionary biologist Dr. Jessica Ware. We’re talking periodical cicadas, cockroaches, dragonflies, and more. Dr. Ware is a curator of Odonata and non-Holometabolous insect orders at the American Museum of Natural History, New York and a professor at the Richard Gilder Graduate School. She is also the VP-Elect of the Entomological Society of America, and the President of the Worldwide Dragonfly Association. Follow Dr. Ware on Twitter @JessicaLWareLab and Instagram @jessicaleeware42. 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/

Voting rights activist, author, lawyer, and politician Stacey Abrams joins Jonathan to discuss the history of voting rights in the United States, the current state of voter suppression, and how we can work towards fair voting and a robust civic engagement. Abrams served in the Georgia House of Representatives from 2007 to 2017, and as minority leader from 2011 to 2017. In 2018, she became the first Black woman to run as a major-party gubernatorial nominee in the US. She is the founder of Fair Fight, an organization that works to ensure every American has a voice in our legal system, and Fair Count, which advocates for accuracy in the 2020 Census and greater participation in civic engagement. Follow Leader Abrams on Twitter and Instagram @staceyabrams, learn more about Fair Fight here and Fair Count here, and find her book Our Time Is Now 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 Jona

In Masha Gessen’s return to Getting Curious, the journalist and staff writer at The New Yorker speaks with Jonathan about their new book Surviving Autocracy. They discuss the ways in which Trump has consolidated power since his election, what the stakes are if he continues to trample American institutions, and what we can do to resist his autocratic ambitions. Follow Masha Gessen on Twitter @mashagessen, and learn more about Surviving Autocracy 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

In this re-release of an episode first recorded in July 2019, Jonathan sits down with Alicia Garza, Co-founder of Black Lives Matter and Director of Strategy & Partnerships for National Domestic Workers Alliance, to discuss the origins of the Black Lives Matter movement, Alicia’s work with the Black Futures Lab, and how Democratic Party candidates, campaigns, and elected officials need to be—and can be—more accountable to Black constituents. Follow Alicia Garza on Twitter @aliciagarza and on Instagram @chasinggarza, and learn more about Black Futures Lab here. Follow National Domestic Workers Alliance on Twitter and Instagram @domesticworkers. 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 Face

On this episode of Getting Curious, we’re digging deep with Dr. Julia Clarke, Wilson Professor of Paleontology at The University of Texas at Austin and a Fellow of the Royal Society of Biology. She and Jonathan get to the bottom of how Texas looked 250 million years ago, which dinosaurs roamed prehistoric America, and what Pangaea’s got to do with the age of dinosaurs. Follow Dr. Clarke on Twitter @jclarkepaleolab, and learn more about her work 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

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.

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 m

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

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 podcastchoic

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