Actor, comedian, and aspiring "Iranian cowboy" Payam Banifaz fled a war zone as a young boy. This week on Hey Baby, Payam reflects on the lasting impact of war on a child, shares a story of the prophetic dream that led to his name, and discusses how Orientalism shapes our current narrative about violence in the Middle East, all the while demonstrating how resilience, optimism, and gratitude light the way.

Quadruple threat Lilan Bowden is a director, actor, improviser, and new mom. On this week's episode of Hey Baby, Lilan tells a short story about being born long, reminisces on her own deeply chill pregnancy, and highlights a surprising link between giving birth and CrossFit before leaving us with some powerful, pro-choice words of affirmation.

In the inaugural episode of Hey Baby, comedian/podcast producer Matt Apodaca talks about being being a bad grape jelly boy and what happens when you’re born at Disneyland, plus shares some beautiful words of empathy for his mom.