This week: we’re talking about CATS: The Jellicle Ball, weddings, maiden name lore, striving for excellence (not perfection), GLP-1 Spelling Bee, Alexia Moore’s arrest, sleep for memory, the North Atlantic current, and Broadway bootlegs.  Get tix to the Hot & Healed Comedy Tour ⁠here⁠.  The Monday Edit, now on ⁠YouTube⁠!  Follow us on Instagram ⁠@gettingbetterwithjvn⁠ Jonathan on Instagram ⁠@jvn⁠ and senior producer Chris ⁠@amomentlikechris⁠  Executive Producer, Chris McClure Producer, Editor & Engineer is Nathanael McClure Production support from Chad Hall Our theme music is also composed by Nathanael McClure. Curious about bringing your brand to life on the show? Email [email protected]. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Better Babes, we’re bringing the levity back! JVN sits down with comedic genius Eric Sedeño (host of Wild Wild Web, star of Tan’s Honorable Gays) to talk all things internet. From the TikTok trends that live rent-free in our brains to the cringiest posts we wish we could delete. Eric opens up about leaving his career as an art director to become a full-time content creator, the friendship that helped him take the leap, and why he leans into joy instead of doom-scrolling despair. Plus: Housewives rankings, cruise ship horror stories, Margaret Cho nostalgia, and a real conversation about self-compassion, fear, and putting yourself out there online. This week, JVN and Eric are getting better at output over input.  Wanna see JVN on stage? Get tix to the Hot & Healed Comedy Tour here.  Full Video Episodes now available on YouTube.  Follow Eric Sedeño on Instagram @ricotaquito Follow us on Instagram @gettingbetterwithjvn Follow Jonathan on Instagram @jvn Executive  Producer, Chris McClure Producer, Editor & Engineer is Nathanael McClure Production support from: Chad Hall Our theme music is also composed by Nathanael McClure. Curious about bringing your brand to life on the show? Email [email protected]. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

This week we’re talking: USA Air Quality, Erie, PA True Crime, Sculptra in South Korea, Getting Better at accepting where we’re at, hair transplants, Internet Spelling Bee Words, Jonathan Van News Desk, coming out in your 30s, and Madonna’s new album.  Wanna see JVN on stage? Get tix to the Hot & Healed Comedy Tour here.  Catch Getting Better & The Monday Edit, now on YouTube!  Check out the JVN Patreon for exclusive content, bonus episodes, and more! www.patreon.com/jvn  Follow us on Instagram @gettingbetterwithjvn Jonathan on Instagram @jvn and senior producer Chris @amomentlikechris  Executive Producer, Chris McClure Producer, Editor & Engineer is Nathanael McClure Production support from Chad Hall Our theme music is also composed by Nathanael McClure. Curious about bringing your brand to life on the show? Email [email protected]. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Can someone really change their mind? This week on Getting Better, Jonathan sits down with singer, author, speaker, and activist Julianna Glasse to look at what it means to question everything you’ve ever believed. Julianna opens up about growing up in an evangelical Christian community, singing at Trump’s 2017 National Prayer Breakfast, and the painful process of walking away from the beliefs, career, and identity that once defined her. She shares the pivotal moments that challenged her understanding of LGBTQ+ people, the books and philosophers that expanded her thinking, and why curiosity became more powerful than certainty. Julianna’s book: This Is What Happens When Women Read is out this fall.  Wanna see JVN on stage? Get tix to the Hot & Healed Comedy Tour here.  Full Video Episodes now available on YouTube.  Follow Julianna Glasse on Instagram @juliannaglasse Follow us on Instagram @gettingbetterwithjvn Follow Jonathan on Instagram @jvn Executive  Producer, Chris McClure Producer, Editor & Engineer is Nathanael McClure Production support from: Chad Hall Our theme music is also composed by Nathanael McClure. Curious about bringing your brand to life on the show? Email [email protected]. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

ICYMI: This week: our first official TME Spelling Bee, Producer Nathanael learns the Tin whistle, we try the viral smoked salmon, talk GLP-1 & Cannabis usage, cover Mifepristone Access in the US over at the Jonathan Van News Desk, and drop this week’s Hot B*tch of the Week. The Monday Edit, now on ⁠YouTube⁠!  Check out the JVN Patreon for exclusive content, bonus episodes, and more! ⁠www.patreon.com/jvn⁠  Follow us on Instagram ⁠@gettingbetterwithjvn⁠ Jonathan on Instagram ⁠@jvn⁠ and senior producer Chris ⁠@amomentlikechris⁠  Executive Producer, Chris McClure Producer, Editor & Engineer is Nathanael McClure Production support from Chad Hall Our theme music is also composed by Nathanael McClure. Curious about bringing your brand to life on the show? Email [email protected]. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

What does the separation of church and state actually protect, and why does it matter to all of us? This week, Jonathan sits down with Americans United President & CEO Rachel Laser (who somehow balances leading one of the country’s foremost constitutional advocacy organizations while teaching yoga on the side) for a conversation about one of the most important (and often misunderstood) principles in American democracy. Together, they explore how the Constitution protects religious freedom, why those protections belong to everyone, and what happens when government and religion become too closely intertwined. Rachel breaks down the growing influence of Christian Nationalism, why patriotism isn’t the same as religious identity, and how some political movements are saying the quiet part out loud. They also discuss recent debates over displaying the Ten Commandments in public schools, the importance of creating space for every belief system, and why defending church-state separation is ultimately about protecting freedom…not limiting faith. Join the fight at www.au.org/better  Wanna see JVN on stage? Get tix to the Hot & Healed Comedy Tour here.  Full Video Episodes now available on YouTube.  Follow Americans United on Instagram @amercansunited Follow us on Instagram @gettingbetterwithjvn Follow Jonathan on Instagram @jvn Executive  Producer, Chris McClure Producer, Editor & Engineer is Nathanael McClure Production support from: Chad Hall Our theme music is also composed by Nathanael McClure. Curious about bringing your brand to life on the show? Email [email protected]. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

This week is all about your listener questions! We’re talking: asking for what you need up front, finding people to co-sign your BS, advice for young queer folk, work trip rendezvous, the Maine senate race, being left out, being a narcissist, loose skin, and some spelling advice!  Wanna see JVN on stage? Get tix to the Hot & Healed Comedy Tour here.  Catch Getting Better & The Monday Edit, now on YouTube!  Check out the JVN Patreon for exclusive content, bonus episodes, and more! www.patreon.com/jvn  Follow us on Instagram @gettingbetterwithjvn Jonathan on Instagram @jvn and senior producer Chris @amomentlikechris  Executive Producer, Chris McClure Producer, Editor & Engineer is Nathanael McClure Production support from Chad Hall Our theme music is also composed by Nathanael McClure. Curious about bringing your brand to life on the show? Email [email protected]. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The U.S. Constitution can feel intimidating—but what if understanding it is one of the most empowering things you can do? This week, JVN sits down with constitutional law professor, legal scholar, and Strict Scrutiny co-host Melissa Murray to unpack what the Constitution actually says, how it’s evolved over time, and what it does to shape our daily lives here in the U.S. Together, they break down the myths, the amendments, and the big debates that continue to define U.S. democracy. From the origins of Prohibition to the long fight for women’s rights, Melissa explains why the Constitution was designed to change—and why “We the People” have always been central to that process. They also explore what rights the Constitution does (and doesn’t) guarantee, how constitutional amendments come to be, and what power ordinary people have to shape the country’s future. Get your copy of THE U.S. CONSTITUTION: AN ANNOTATED GUIDE FOR THE MODERN READER here Catch Strict Scrutiny wherever you get your podcasts! .  Wanna see JVN on stage? Get tix to the Hot & Healed Comedy Tour here.  Full Video Episodes now available on YouTube.  Follow Melissa Murray on Instagram @profmmurray   Follow Strict Scrutiny on Instagram @stricscrutinypodcast  Follow us on Instagram @gettingbetterwithjvn Follow Jonathan on Instagram @jvn Executive  Producer, Chris McClure Producer, Editor & Engineer is Nathanael McClure Production support from: Chad Hall Our theme music is also composed by Nathanael McClure. Curious about bringing your brand to life on the show? Email [email protected]. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

This week, we’re talking: Liza Meownelli Updates, Pride 2026, posture, AC, allergies, caffeine decreasing, workout faces, Carly Rae Jepsen’s new era, earthquakes, Janet Jackson, American Spelling Bee, the Supreme Court’s ruling on Damon Landor’s locks, anti-ICE protesters, Sunscreen Advice, Diet Cherry Coke, and Jordyn Woods' Bag.  Wanna see JVN on stage? Get tix to the Hot & Healed Comedy Tour here.  Catch Getting Better & The Monday Edit, now on YouTube!  Check out the JVN Patreon for exclusive content, bonus episodes, and more! www.patreon.com/jvn  Follow us on Instagram @gettingbetterwithjvn Jonathan on Instagram @jvn and senior producer Chris @amomentlikechris  Executive Producer, Chris McClure Producer, Editor & Engineer is Nathanael McClure Production support from Chad Hall Our theme music is also composed by Nathanael McClure. Curious about bringing your brand to life on the show? Email [email protected]. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

This week on Getting Better, JVN sits down with actress, activist, performer, and NYC Pride Grand Marshal Peppermint for a conversation about the energy, joy, resilience, and community that make Pride so powerful. From starring in Survival of the Thickest to leading one of the world’s most iconic Pride celebrations, Peppermint shares what Pride means to her today, how the movement has evolved, and why joy remains one of the most important tools for building connection and creating change. Along the way, JVN and Peppermint dive into Pride history, the responsibility and excitement of being a Grand Marshal, what it means to be “the first,” and how we can all help create a future rooted in belonging. Plus: a gum health detour, baths vs. showers, some Peppermint’s Transcendence Tea, and why staying connected to our shared humanity matters now more than ever. Whether you’re celebrating Pride this month or looking for ways to build more community, courage, and joy in your everyday life, this episode is a reminder that Pride is more than a celebration - it’s a practice. Wanna see JVN on stage? Get tix to the Hot & Healed Comedy Tour here.  Full Video Episodes now available on YouTube.  Follow Peppermint @peppermint247  Follow us on Instagram @gettingbetterwithjvn Follow Jonathan on Instagram @jvn Executive  Producer, Chris McClure Producer, Editor & Engineer is Nathanael McClure Production support from: Chad Hall Our theme music is also composed by Nathanael McClure. Curious about bringing your brand to life on the show? Email [email protected]. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices