<p>The filmmaker Bao Nguyen joins Alexi to talk about various mentors throughout his life, all of who have influenced how he sees his art—from an important middle school teacher to a Sundance-winning director. Shoutouts to Miss Tripp, Miss Grossman, Jeff Chang, Tony Bui, and Tran Anh Hung. </p>

KEIRA D'AMATO: This Is What It Feels Like

Alexi Pappas's Mentor Buffet is a podcast about mentorship: Who influenced the people who influence us? Who helped them along their journey?

Alexi is an Olympian, filmmaker, actress, and bestselling author, and she's leaned on mentors to help her level up faster than she could on her own. After losing her mom to suicide when she was four, she needed to find other people to lean on. Now, it's Alexi's turn to peel back the curtain on mentorship. In each episode of Mentor Buffet Alexi sits down with people who inspire her—athletes, entrepreneurs, creatives, and beyond—to have conversations about chasing dreams and befriending pain, through the lens of those who have shaped them into who they are today.