Life Will Be the Death of Me with Chelsea Handler - Scheduling Sex with Atsuko Okatsuka

Episode Date: June 19, 2025

Atsuko Okatsuka is back to chat about the time she didn’t do laundry for 7 years, the weirdest things about touring in Europe, and why she’ll never be allowed to get another haircut. ... Then: A singer sends inappropriate texts.  A sister-in-law spat needs to be dragged out in the open.  And a burnt-out lawyer hits the breaks.   * Need some advice from Chelsea? Email us at DearChelseaPodcast@gmail.com * Executive Producer Catherine Law Edited & Engineered by Brad Dickert * * * The views and opinions expressed are solely those of the Podcast author, or individuals participating in the Podcast, and do not represent the opinions of iHeartMedia or its employees.  This Podcast should not be used as medical advice, mental health advice, mental health counseling or therapy, or as imparting any health care recommendations at all.  Individuals are advised to seek independent medical, counseling advice and/or therapy from a competent health care professional with respect to any medical condition, mental health issues, health inquiry or matter, including matters discussed on this Podcast. Guests and listeners should not rely on matters discussed in the Podcast and shall not act or shall refrain from acting based on information contained in the Podcast without first seeking independent medical advice.  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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Starting point is 00:00:00 This is an iHeart Podcast. Guaranteed human. The Jonas Brothers are running it back. We live the burning up tour and celebrate the biggest Jonas Brother hits that have defined a generation. One incredible celebration. One unforgettable night.
Starting point is 00:00:21 See the Jonas Brothers live at RBC Amphitheater September 28th. get tickets now at ticketmaster.ca jonas brothers the burning up tour all over again i survived nine months in captivity and i've spent my life exploring how other people survive what should have destroyed them i'm elizabeth smart and these are the survivor files every week i'm with survivors who live through the unthinkable abducted stalked controlled and nearly silenced. These are stories about what it takes to make it out alive. Listen to the Survivor Files with Elizabeth Smart on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever
Starting point is 00:01:05 you get your podcasts. If your bookshelf and your For You page are equally important to your personality, welcome home. Pro Society is a weekly podcast that's part book club, part group chat for anyone who thinks Pride and Prejudice and Love Island deserve the same level of discourse. each week we're connecting the dots between books the internet and pop culture with your favorite writers book talk creators and plenty of overthought opinions yeah i'm obsessed i'm obsessed listen to pro society on the iheart radio app apple podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts i'm hoda kotb host of the podcast joy 101 with hoda kotb you know i'm always searching for inspiration and useful tools to maximize joy like when my friend henry winkler offered advice to
Starting point is 00:01:49 aspiring actors and really anybody hoping to stand out. You're not hired just to fill time and space. You're hired to fill the space with you. Listen to Joy 101 with Hoda Kotb on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. There are 12 women, 11 women here from our family, my sisters, my nieces, my cousins, my aunt, and my, oh my God, am I going to say great-niece? I'm not going to say that.
Starting point is 00:02:31 We can fudge the numbers there. It's fine. Please, please fudge them. That's wonderful. How long are you guys there? How long are you going to be there? We're on a Roman holiday. We've been here for two days, three days, and we're here for a full week, and it's beautiful,
Starting point is 00:02:47 and it's Grecian. And we were eating the best food in the world. And our family is together. And without them, there is really nothing better than being with all the women in your life without men. I mean, there were no men that even come to the house to work at the house. It's all women. My aunt goes, do you only request female chefs? I'm like, no, but that's a great idea.
Starting point is 00:03:10 Oh, my gosh. I was listening to some interview with a pop star who shall not be named. And she was like, you know what? Usually I'm the only woman in the room. And I was like, you're big enough that that's your choice. So I'm glad that you're choosing to be with all women. Just makes things a little more peaceful. Totally.
Starting point is 00:03:24 And more reasonable. Like last night, all the girls, the young girls made dinner together and they made fish tacos. And it was Jordan and Charlie and Ella. And they were all just like, it was so cute to see these little butterflies roaming around and like going from the outdoor kitchen to the indoor kitchen. And we're just sitting there like, you know, I'm drinking, obviously, because that's what I do. And I was just observing it. I was like, this is so sweet, you know, watching all of the family members kind of, you know, interrelate. It's just so sweet.
Starting point is 00:03:57 We have so many girls in our family. So it's so nice. Yeah. And it's great that, like, everybody seems like they vibe really well. And if there is any sort of, you know, interpersonal stuff. If there's a problem, it's me. By the way, I'm always the problem. So I'm always the biggest problem.
Starting point is 00:04:13 Excellent. I'm glad we, you know, we're all self-aware. We can take responsibility for our stuff. Awesome. Well, Chelsea, you have some new dates coming up. Yes, I'm doing I'm adding some dates. Well, I'm doing Vegas on July 5th. So come to that. And I added a couple of stand up dates to round out the year. I'm doing West Hampton Beach, August 21st. I'm headlining the Rochester Fringe Comedy Festival, September 13th. And I will be in Napa on October 3rd. So that's how I'm rounding out the year. I feel slightly guilty about being
Starting point is 00:04:44 in Europe during everything that's happening in America. But I also feel like I'm gathering my strength. Yes, you have to like sharpen the axe before you can go back to work. And also like you are someone because you have such a large following. It's like you can also still be doing the work from other places and and you are so I think that's great. Thanks. Yeah, we have a lovely returning guest who we love today. Oh, yeah. So we love her. And she has a new special called father out on hulu which you all must go watch and you know how much we love female comedians on this podcast so please welcome atsuko okatsuka chelsea my daughter is that you uh you're my you're my baby and i'm your mother that's right i'm not your daughter you're my baby
Starting point is 00:05:32 and my baby got a new bowl cut because it looks very very fresh did you just cut it right now Yeah, she's been trimming it. She's talking about your work, Corinne. She says your hair, the hair. I'll put, this is Corinne. And if you're not watching on YouTube, just so you know, Asko's finishing up a haircut right now.
Starting point is 00:05:52 I don't know if her cut actually, I thought maybe her cut, her hair actually just starts cutting itself when it gets too long. Well, let's not talk about that, Chelsea. I'd be out of a job. Oh, okay, copy that. So there is somebody tending to it.
Starting point is 00:06:04 Okay, like a gardener. Okay, got it. I'm a gardener, yes. thank you I am yeah no can you believe yeah this is today for I said I'm gonna see Chelsea let's get that pristine cut going and hi Catherine hi how are you Otsuko Okatsuka's here everybody if that took me a long time to say that name properly and now it just rolls right off the tongue Otsuko Okatsuka you're gonna tell me I'm saying it wrong are you no not at all and it was and it was shell say yeah it's shell shell shelly actually we love we love a we love a woman that's
Starting point is 00:06:39 always updating herself you know absolutely i mean yeah there's so many seasons to being a woman it's just it's always a surprise your own body now that i'm 50 i'm like oh god so many different things like i remember when i when i was younger my boobs were so big right they were so big and now as I've gotten more in shape and like leaner and older, they've gotten to the exact size that I like. They're not too much. Like I can contain them. And like all of these different changes that you go through in your body, like I always heard such negative things about aging. And I have to say, I'm having a positive aging experience. And I wish the same for you, Otsuko, because I know you're not old. How old are you? I am 36. 36. Okay. So I'm 14 years older
Starting point is 00:07:25 than you. And I want you to know, well, you're Asian. So your aging experience is already going to be superior to Caucasians aging, aging experience. Aging is not to be confused with Asians. Hey, happy aging month, which is May. Yeah. Which is, which is May. Yeah. Anyway, you know? Yeah. Wait, right. I'm wondering, have we started recording? Yeah, we're recording. Yes, yeah, he's rolling. He's rolling for you. Incredible. No, I was like, we're catching up so good already.
Starting point is 00:07:58 No, no, we're going to use all of this. Don't worry. We want our audience to know the ins and outs of all of our relationships. No, I appreciate that, what you just said about that aging. I don't relate to the big boobs to the finally good boobs or like perfect size boobs. For me, it's always been the same, double A. Since you were born? Pretty much, yeah.
Starting point is 00:08:20 Yeah. Which is nice. I like consistency. So yeah. And a double A, that's almost like you don't even have to wear a bra, right? Or do you? Do you wear a bra? I was being humble. I just realized I'm actually a B. Thank you. Oh, excuse me. Oh, I didn't realize that. So you've graduated. Now you're a B. Okay. And my grandma, D's, double D's. Who knew? Yeah. See, some people get bigger boobs as they get older. Did she always have bigger boobs? We never, I don't think she ever was measured until more recently when we were buying bras for her and uh she didn't seem phased because it's not like she really has girlfriends that she talks about bra sizes with so i said grandma what was the measurement she goes 36 double d like a soft flex my mouth my jaw dropped
Starting point is 00:09:09 and she said what that's not normal i said i mean it's not what i have i thought we were related Otsuko has a new special out on Hulu. It's called Father. By the time this comes out, your special will be airing. This is your sophomore special on Hulu and Disney. It's called Father. Now, without giving away any of the jokes in the special, why did you call it Father?
Starting point is 00:09:33 Well, so I do talk a little bit about reconnecting with my dad in it, but also, like, my fans call me Mother. You know, we were talking about, well, I call you Mother, but my fans call me Mother. and uh you know but mothers have it together right so i'm more father right you know i'm also kind of more of a father than a mother you know yes a stepfather is where i come into my own you know yeah where we're like both thriving in life but sometimes clueless about everyday basics like we're like the sun and the moon are different or that was you but you know thank you just to
Starting point is 00:10:08 or that I didn't know I hadn't been doing the laundry for the past seven years, like that kind of thing. But is Ryan doing the laundry? Ryan is Otzko's husband. Yes. Who I refer to as her captor because he takes care of all things Otzko. And if Otzko didn't have Ryan in her life,
Starting point is 00:10:27 Otzko, she probably wouldn't even be alive. I would live outside and, you know, and maybe thrive, you know, because of my personality. But Ryan is mother. Yeah, he's the one that's been doing the laundry this whole time. We were both surprised, though. It was like this devastating moment where we both realized, wait, that means you, that means it's been you this whole time. And that was a surprise to you.
Starting point is 00:10:54 Yeah. Was it a surprise to Ryan who was doing the laundry? Yes, because sometimes you just go, oh, here's fresh new laundry. And you forget that, you know what I mean? sometimes you just don't know you're the one that's been doing it. And the times he's not doing it, he thought I've been doing mine, but I just wasn't washing my clothes. Does that make sense? No, no. It doesn't make sense at all, but I believe you. I believe you. When I come to Whistler, I don't have a housekeeper here. It couldn't be farther afield than my life in LA
Starting point is 00:11:25 or my life anywhere else for that matter. I have a cleaning lady that comes like once a week and that's it. And my place here is small enough that I can't really blow anything up. But when I first came here for two weeks in COVID, I was using the, I was washing my own clothes for the first time in many, many years. And I was using the dryer as a washer and I was putting the detergent in the dryer and then my clothes would come out and they were like stained and tie-dyed. They were dry though. And so I was so confused because the dryer's on top of the washer, the washers. And it's like one of those stacked things. And so for the longest time, I was like, I don't understand. it's like, I can't be this bad at washing clothes. And then it struck me that I was,
Starting point is 00:12:09 yes, that was a big wake up call for me. I thought, wow, you're a real fucking idiot. Oh my God. Me too. Why are we twins? Yeah. I don't know. We don't look like twins, but we have a lot in common. Yes. Yeah. We're literally fraternal. We're fraternal from different continents. In the seventh grade, I did have blonde hair, So I did wonder. Yeah, well, that was you looking for your real mother. So you were in the New York Times talking about the joke that changed your life. It says that there's a joke that Tig Notaro told that, what was that joke from Tig?
Starting point is 00:12:44 It's called No Moleste, if we name jokes, right? And yeah, it's just about how when she was performing in Mexico, right? Every time she's in a hotel, she puts the Do Not Disturb sign up. But in Spanish, it's No Moleste. and you just laugh if you're like an English speaker because, you know, that's scary to have to put that up every night. Which by the way, we should have signs that say that
Starting point is 00:13:07 at our hotel rooms in America anyway. We should have signs that say no molest me. You know what, actually, that's very true. That joke didn't age well because these days you do need that, literally. I remember that joke from Tig. Tig has a great joke writing ability. You do that too, because you have great jokes,
Starting point is 00:13:23 but you're also telling personal stories. So you combine the two. because you know there's comics that just tell jokes set up premise set up and like a punchline whereas many comedians are storytellers I'm a storyteller I tell stories and there are jokes within the stories and punchlines within the stories but you blend both of those things together I think very nicely thank you I mean we all didn't live 40 years each year like you did you know what I mean where every time I hear your stories I'm like okay but she's only eight years old and she already did what? She's, she's spiking people's lemonades. You know what I mean? Like,
Starting point is 00:14:00 you know, at a young age. Yeah. Yeah. I know what you mean. Yeah. I need to blend, you know, sometimes the jokes about the weather because I'm like, you know, big old things didn't happen every month. Right. Absolutely. I understand, Ansko. So how has it been going with you and Ryan on the road? What's what, where have you guys been lately? I mean, I can't, I didn't see, I haven't seen you in almost like, I don't know, has it been a year? I don't think it's been a year. I haven't seen you since we had a dinner party at my friend's house while she was upstairs in her bedroom. I know, right? We just took over her place and her dinnertime, I feel like. We were just eating your friend's tacos. It was meant for her kids and we were eating them. I was staying
Starting point is 00:14:37 at my friend Allison's house. I was like, Allison, can I have some people over for dinner tonight? Oh no, I wasn't even staying there. I just said that was a good meeting point because you guys are so far east and my house wasn't really fully done. And I was dating someone at the time. Oh yeah, I had my mountain man there. And I was like, oh, let's all have dinner. And I was like, this is a good middle spot. So I just called my friend and I said, can I have some people over for dinner? And she's like, well, I'm getting my eyelashes done. And I'm like, no, no, you're not invited. Can I have people over for dinner? And we're doing our own thing. And she's like, oh, oh, oh, yeah, absolutely. So that was the last time I think we saw each other, right?
Starting point is 00:15:12 Yes. Yeah. It's like a very classic hang out with Chelsea Handler moment. Yeah. At one point, we were hanging out, drinking tequilas, eating tacos. I went inside and saw kids. I screamed because for a second, I was like, wait, right, this isn't Chelsea's house? I was like, who are they? Who are they? Exactly. It's their house. Imagine how I felt when I saw the kids and I was like, whoa, whoa, whoa. I just asked to have a dinner party here. I didn't sign up for this sort of chicanery. That's right. I didn't know we were all eating the same meal. Oh, this is your meal. Where are you on the subject of having children? Are you ever going to procreate, do you think? No. Remember, that's our sisterhood promise. Okay. I just wanted to
Starting point is 00:15:54 make sure nothing has changed. Yeah. No, that biological clock they talk about, that doesn't exist within me. I don't even own a real clock. Right. So no, I don't, you know, that's such a big thing that supposedly quickly changes within you. No, it's not like my favorite color changing. Right. I understand that. So how has it been traveling with Ryan? What have you guys learned? like your relationship, you spend so much time with your husband. I mean, I don't know anyone who spends more time with their, with their husband. Do you guys ever fight? We do. Yes, we do. But what do you fight about? Mostly it's, you know, oh, let's go. You have to put the keys in the right place every time, the same place. It's very simple. You know, it's a lot of that.
Starting point is 00:16:37 I do ask a lot of him because he works with me and, you know, for me. And so, yeah, sometimes it's that and I've been I've been keeping up I've been trying to be more organized because it's a reciprocal thing right relationships but we've we've been we've been to Asia we've been to Australia New Zealand and Europe with my tour together and you brought your did you bring your grandmother or your mother on one of those trips you I mean on a couple of those trips right I wanted to but honestly they're too old now so oh yeah so it's just me and Ryan you know going to see Paris together, took him to a cabaret. That was fun. You know, and so yeah, I love seeing different cultures. We love traveling together. And just based on how people laugh, I feel like
Starting point is 00:17:25 you can really learn a lot about a culture, you know? Uh-huh. Like what? What culture surprised you? Like which cultures were the most surprising to you? Okay, the Scandinavians really surprised me in a pleasant way. I didn't know anything about them. I had seen the movie Frozen. It's an animated movie i said is it kind of like that you know and because i was so worried i said all my life right in america i've had to teach people how to pronounce my name atsco the u is there but it's silent right so i said how am i gonna you know connect to norway how am i gonna explain that to people in iceland are they gonna understand me are they gonna get my jokes and then i go there and they're like bitch my name is dear bjorn's daughter okay
Starting point is 00:18:07 okay i have a one girl she said my cousin i have a cousin her name is york for ease on school is not a problem for me i i felt so seen you know what i mean and so i i loved the scandinavians they're true weirdos you're doing scandinavia too right yes yes i think we're doing like 16 shows 13 countries yes so i'm i i fucking love this schedule i mean i would like a little bit more downtime in between but fuck it i i mean i go you know what it's like you go at this pace and then you acclimate to this pace and then you just survive it like it's like you're surviving your own tour right totally yeah we extended it we did it over a month we have the same tour people i i knew you were going to europe i was so excited
Starting point is 00:18:56 i was like ah i want to tell her all about it and you know the i ranked the countries based on shyest to liveliest that i've performed in okay which ones are the shyest the shyest number 28 sitting at number 28 is the belgians oh really my opener did a backflip to silence during his set and then he had to that's the belgians he had to then walk back to the mic also in silence because he was far away from it by then. Isn't that wild? That's good to know though. That's good to know. Yeah. I'm going to Brussels. So I'll be there. Yeah. What about the Swiss? The Swiss, the Swiss. Oh, they were pretty lively actually. They were pretty, they were more lively. The Swedish too. And Parisians, I was told they're going to be very quiet, but they were one of the liveliest
Starting point is 00:19:48 crowds I had. They were very locals too. They're, they're getting weirder and they're getting into English speaking standup. It's really beautiful. Yeah, I know. Cause half the places I'm going I'm like, are we sure they speak English? My friend who lives in Sweden, he's like, listen, no one speaks English in Sweden. I'm like, what are you fucking talking about? I've been there. Everyone speaks English in Sweden. He's like, nobody speaks English.
Starting point is 00:20:08 So I don't know if he's fucking with me. I assume he's fucking with me because I just stopped responding. I don't like those kinds of antagonistic texts. I agree. He just wants to see if you'll get on stage and speak slower because you've been lied to. I know. I know. It's so hard for me to speak slowly.
Starting point is 00:20:25 you know I just don't have that clip even when I was recording my book they're like can you slow it down I'm like that's not authentic I'm like me slowing down my talking doesn't sound like how I tell a story I have to tell a story like this so yeah and so either they're going to catch on or they're not the great thing is I'll just be in one place for each day and then I'm out so you know we'll see oh gosh it was my it was my favorite yeah one day is enough I feel like my opener also was newly single so it was fun to see him going out every night to hook up with different men you know oh oh yeah of course I love that well I'm bringing Yamanika to a few of my dates you know Yamanika and she is horny for dick so we are hoping to just get her plucked left right and
Starting point is 00:21:12 center throughout Europe Europe is not going to know what hit them once they meet Yamanika oh my god the two of you together arrested jail I know I know we have a real hard time together They're keeping our shit together. It's one bad decision after another. Yeah, you are that White Castle movie. Harold and Kumar. Kumar, yeah. That's the two of you trying to find weed in Sweden.
Starting point is 00:21:34 Exactly, yes. Because I can't travel with drugs anymore because I've talked so openly about my love for them. So I can no longer transport them. So that leaves me with having to find drugs when I get there. But luckily, my reputation precedes itself And people are very hip to bringing, as you've seen yourself, people are very hip to bringing me drugs. And I encourage that.
Starting point is 00:21:58 That's where our brands differ a little bit, where people do throw like mushrooms at you from the crowd on the stage, right? And then for me, people show up to my shows in wigs of my bowl cut. So it's a little different. I'm more like Minnie Mouse. You know what I mean? Yeah, right. Yeah, yeah. Yeah. And you're like, you're like Papa Smurf. I'm more like Papa Smurf. And you're more like
Starting point is 00:22:22 Minnie Mouse. I knew it. Papa Smurf was definitely a drug dealer. Yeah. Okay, we're gonna take a break. And we'll be right back with Otsuko Okatsuka. Behind every night spent making the kids lunches, there's a lot of suspense. Will they finally eat the veggies? Will the pesto survive the first bite? Will the lunchbox come home empty, half full, or come home at all. And will you finish episode eight before you're done slicing the cucumbers? Get Bell Pure Fiber Internet
Starting point is 00:22:50 with Crave, Netflix, and Disney Plus from $94 a month. Price guaranteed for two years on internet with a two-year term and auto pay credit. Visit bell.ca for details and to check availability. Bell, connection is everything. When I was 14 years old, I was kidnapped and held captive for nine months.
Starting point is 00:23:08 I survived and I've spent my life exploring how other people survive what should have destroyed them. I'm Elizabeth Smart, and these are The Survivor Files. I just remember this low, taunting voice next to my ear saying, shut up, don't say anything. Every week, I'm with survivors who live through the unthinkable. I knew if he woke up, without a doubt, he was going to hurt me. I started feeling that there was someone at the end of my bed,
Starting point is 00:23:40 and I just started screaming. They are abducted, stalked, controlled, and nearly silenced. But these aren't stories about what's taken from them. They're stories about what it takes to make it out alive. Listen to The Survivor Files with Elizabeth Smart on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. If your bookshelf and your For You page
Starting point is 00:24:04 are equally important to your personality, welcome home. This is Prose Society, the weekly podcast that's part book club, part group chat for thought daughters, pop culture obsessives, and anyone who thinks Pride and Prejudice and Love Island deserve the same level of discourse. I'm Eli Rallo, and every week we're connecting the dots between books, the internet, and the conversations everyone can't stop having. I'm going to have to look up this story. I'm obsessed. I'm obsessed. From bestselling authors and your favorite book talk creators to the latest pop culture moments, nothing is off the table. It's like if you can hide some real messages inside compelling characters, then that is a Trojan horse.
Starting point is 00:24:45 Whether you're looking for literary deep dives, smart pop culture conversations, or a community of readers who love to think a little too much, you're in the right place. Listen to Pro Society on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. See you between the pages. Hey, this is Hayes Davenport. And Sean Clements. We host the podcast Hollywood Handbook on the Big Money Players Network. Our show is extremely accessible to first-time listeners. Each week, we talk to someone in show business, a.k.a. the biz,
Starting point is 00:25:15 and try to help them with their careers and see what they have to offer us. Everyone has a good time, and no one gets mad at their publicist for letting them do our show. We've had a lot of great guests like Sarah Sherman. Not that great. Actually, can you help me shape this? how about we flip it on its head how about we flip the script
Starting point is 00:25:33 what if the surprise woman who actually you think is the straight man is actually the one who's acting weird Adam Scott this entire time you've been expecting Adam Sandler to come to visit the show
Starting point is 00:25:50 I would never expect I would never set expectations for something like that to happen if the universe allows for something like that to happen I am open to it. I'm always going to accept. You know, Danny McBride, fine.
Starting point is 00:26:05 Yeah, it's all this fragile masculinity exuding. I could smell it walking down the hallway, to be honest with you. I was like, is that weed? Nope, it's fragile masculinity. Ben Stiller, no. Because a lot of times, out of context, people don't get it or even know what a circle is. You know what I mean?
Starting point is 00:26:24 Like, they're like, oh, what's a circle? Everyone's so dumb except for you. And fake. Right, fake. And also not interested or just like, oh, I've got my life. I don't care about your life. And a lot of other big shots that wouldn't be where they are without us. Oh, and by the way, Will Ferrell told us personally he loves the show
Starting point is 00:26:42 and he wants to be a guest on every episode, but he's just so busy. Listen to Hollywood Handbook on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. We're back with Otsko. Okay, we're going to take some callers. Catherine, what have we got? Caller, writer in? Yeah, so this first one is a written one. This is Anne-Marie. She says, Dear Chelsea,
Starting point is 00:27:05 I'm a listener in the UK. I listen every week and love the show. This is an off-piste topic, but one that I'd love for you to answer. I'm a writer, mainly TV comedy shows, and more recently, I turned my attention to drama. I'm the same age as you, Chelsea, and I want to write a show to perform myself. It'll be kind of stand-up, but despite my ability around creating a story, I don't really know where to start with stand-up. Do I just go to a comedy club and watch and learn? Do I just get up? My TV writing centers on complicated female dynamics, and I'd love to expand on that. I'm not exactly shy in retiring, but I've never done anything near stand-up, so I'd love your advice, as I love your comedy and the way you present yourself in the world.
Starting point is 00:27:46 I'm also super impressed slash envious by how you vacation, the people, the locations, the edibles. Anyway, thank you, Anne-Marie. Oh, Anne-Marie. Well, that's easy, Atsuka. don't you think you got to get up on stage? First of all, you have to just get up on stage and you don't have to have a huge plan. You have to have like five minutes of an idea. Like you, if you have like three or four premises, I mean, some people beat out every single joke that they're going to tell and your storytelling will evolve once you start getting comfortable being on stage. So I wouldn't worry about getting into the story so much as I would be as just getting stage time in front of people and exercising that muscle have a couple of jokes but they don't have
Starting point is 00:28:31 to be like you don't have to have 15 jokes set up you can take your time like connecting with the audience doing crowd work asking questions because that could spur something in you and that could spur a joke you know it's very easy to talk to people and then get a new idea about how to come back with something but the most important thing is to get on stage just get on stage and start getting your stage time. Prepare like, look at this. I just got a text. My phone just lit up Yamanika Saunders. I swear. I swear. I watched this. This is off topic, but I want to talk about it. I swear when you talk about people that the texts are being held in the iCloud and then they come through when your phone hears that name because your phone wants you on your phone as
Starting point is 00:29:14 much as possible so that some of these texts are just waiting and waiting and waiting. And then when you say their name they come up I saw this in a movie and I didn't believe it I'm like there's no way they're holding the text but I believe they are and today is proof so yeah I swear that's the real science yeah don't you think Ansko don't you think you just have to get on stage like what was your first time on stage like yeah for sure getting on stage but also watching a lot of it is nice so like you know go go catch Chelsea when she's in London you know like watching other people and then just the way they storytell is very inspiring you know if especially if you feel like stuck right because then you know just to see someone else and how they structured together a
Starting point is 00:29:57 bunch of their stories or what they found interesting about their stories to make into punchlines that's really helpful and then going on stage you know because just consuming other art is I think so good even if it's like in the back of your head and you're like oh I don't know where I learned to realize the K sound is funny or whatever. Oh, it's because I saw, you know, that comedian do it on stage. And that made me laugh. I took a standup class. So that was how I got up on stage for the first time. So that's a little bit of a different journey, I feel like. But you should map out what you're going to say. You know, you should map out and have an idea. If you're one of those people who needs like, and you can take it on stage with you. You can
Starting point is 00:30:38 take a piece of paper up there. Don't be shy about that to look and see, you know, sometimes with all that adrenaline. You can kind of forget a couple of things that you want to say, but have a plan of what you're going to do when you get up there. And it can be a story, it can be jokes, but like just start to just use that as a way to get comfortable on stage so that then when you have longer periods of time to be on stage, that's where the storytelling can come in. But I would treat the initial time as just like a, an introduction, you know, to stand up and to have a couple of good jokes that you're willing to tell and try and do some crowd work because some people don't even know they're good at crowd work until they do it for the first time. And then
Starting point is 00:31:16 it's great. And if you're scared of it, then try it once and see if you like it. You might not be scared of it, but definitely just put the hours in. You need the hours to get comfortable with something. Right. Well, our next question comes from Alex. She is calling in. She's 33. So the subject line is tips to avoid identity crisis after quitting your dream job. Hey, Chelsea, I took a gummy before writing this, so bear with me. I was an annoying overachiever my whole life, double major in college, graduated cum laude while working the whole time, straight to law school, graduated with honors, passed the bar exam first time, and got hired at what I thought was my dream job at 25, blah, blah, blah, gross. I have wanted to be a public defender since the moment I found
Starting point is 00:32:02 out the job existed, and I started interning at my local public defender's office when I was 19. Everything I know and love came from this office. I met my husband here, many of my closest friends, I got my insane rescue dog from one of our unhoused clients, etc., etc. However, these last two years and full-time mental health rotation, I'll spare you the details unless you're truly thirsty, reached critical mass extreme burnout. I was a pinprick away from sobbing or screaming in your face at any time, I was so emotionally exhausted. After lots of overthinking, doubting, self-hatred over the last several months, I finally made the brave, correct decision and quit. I'm 33 and unemployed. My heart rate spiked just typing that out, but I'm calling it a sabbatical
Starting point is 00:32:45 to avoid a few panic attacks if I can. My therapist and I agreed I'm taking three months off. The first month to truly rest, the next month to get the juices flowing for what the next chapter will look like, and the third month to execute on those ideas. I'm very confident in the decision I made but shitting bricks over the next chapter. How do I handle these next three months as I figure out the direction I'm going to go? Because when I was 25, I thought this was my end game, and I know that sounds naive as tits, but I believe that to my bones. It was my identity. How do I best spend this time disentangling from the job, the job from my identity, and being okay with it? Signed while trying not to increase my SSRI dosage, Alex. Oh, Alex, you're fucking crushing it. First of all,
Starting point is 00:33:29 what are you talking about? You made all these great decisions for your own mental health. You got out of a job that you thought was your dream job that proved to be mentally debilitating to you and mentally harmful to your health. Like that is amazing. Now you have a whole, and you're 33, you have your whole life ahead of you to do phase two. Like you're an example to so many people that are in jobs that they hate to, to actually walk away. I think you're already on the right track. Everything you said is great. Like, of course, there's going to be some anxiety about what you're going to do next, but you should also trust in the fact that you just got yourself out of a situation that was harmful to you. So you are the best person to take care of yourself,
Starting point is 00:34:09 which means you're going to get to the place that you're going and you're going to figure out what that next step is in a natural amount of time. You're giving yourself a month to do this, a month to do that. These are all amazing things. Like you don't even need any advice from me. Atsuko, you could probably give Atsuko some advice. Atsuko, do you need advice from her, from Alex? Help me out. Yeah. I'm like, I have to keep this bowl cut forever. Speaking of an identity crisis, I'm like, can I ever grow my hair out ever again? What happens if I lose my hairstylist friend, you know, to other clients? What am I going to do? No, but for real, you, it's, it's kind of like a divorce. Whenever someone's reached the point of having to do that,
Starting point is 00:34:46 it's because it needed to be done yeah and so this realization is badass I would just say like I would just say clock the moments of joy that you feel when you're trying different things and different and then you go okay so that's a that's what I like it's good to start to realize what you do like now you know and so that's all because you knew what you didn't like yeah so that's I guess it's it's also knowing how much rest is like too much rest I've never rested in my life my parents or immigrants. Let's go huge fan. I know you can relate to this. Productivity is beaten into your head with a bat. So the idea of not doing anything because I have to, and there's an expectation on the other side, but just resting is a very foreign concept. So I guess balancing what is rest and
Starting point is 00:35:33 healing versus what is productive steps to be taking. Cause I still have to work at some point. Like I'm only 33. I still have to actually make money. Have you guys taken time like this before in your lives yes I have I have all the time I look at that rest as like filling up my bank do you know what I mean like my emotional well-being like I have burnt out so many times in my life and now I understand the balance like I understand that the rest is as important as the work the play and the vacation is as important as the work and so just because you're not doing anything for a month like yeah if you're not doing anything for six months that's a different story If you say, okay, I'm assigning this month to resting and decompressing so that I can get
Starting point is 00:36:14 focused and get re-energized and, you know, get, I almost said get fucked. Maybe you need to get fucked too. But all of these things, like fill yourself up with all of the stuff that you're going to need to get you to that next phase, which is going to be a more productive phase of actually thinking about where you want to go in your career, what the next steps are. I think you're completely healthy. And you know what you're doing? You're breaking a cycle. You're talking about your parents coming to this country and this work ethic, which is, of course, immigrants have. You know, you come to America and you want to be successful. So you can't really blame people for doing that.
Starting point is 00:36:47 But you don't need to be working all the time. You need to be, like, mentally healthy. And then your work can be joyful. You know, you want to be able to put everything positive into your work. So I totally think everything you're doing is just spot on. Alex, can I ask, what are some of the things that you're doing in this period of active rest? like, are you going outside? Are you meditating? Like what, what sort of in your day to day? So it's actually really funny. So I walk the dog more than he's ever been walked in his entire life.
Starting point is 00:37:15 I am reading all of the nerdy romanticist books that I've never had time to read before and making no apologies for it. Like my husband comes home and I've been on the couch for eight and a half hours and I'm very, I'm journaling and taking a lot of gummies because it helps me meditate. Like it helps you be creative and not judgemental. You don't have to explain yourself. I get it. I'm with you. So I'm journaling a lot and there's a huge scary part of me that realizes that maybe I don't even want to be a lawyer, which is a bummer because I spent so much time and energy and money towards this education. And I feel like I gained the skill set of not having any fear of public speaking, not being afraid of grumpy old white men yelling at me because they did that
Starting point is 00:37:55 every day in a robe like that doesn't scare me in any field. And I really like to write. So there's a huge part of me that wants to take a risk even in that direction and something that's not adjacent to my education at all. Well, and as a person who like everyone in my family is a lawyer except for me, I can say like, there are a lot of ways to use your law degree that like do not involve going to court that don't involve sort of like a traditional sort of like legal profession as we think about it. But also like, yeah, you have the freedom now to like reconsider. Maybe you use it again in 15 years when you want to do something different. You know what I mean? It's, you know, it doesn't mean that that's a wasted experience. And like you said, you've gained all these other tools
Starting point is 00:38:37 in your toolbox. My sister was an attorney, hated it, hated working for a law firm, quit that and got a job for this health company where she was writing. She was as a lawyer writing all of like the healthcare laws, like helping to create the healthcare laws around it. So she kind of switched because she was like, I hate this. I hate defending people. I hate like this kind of litigation aspect. She's like, I'm going to take this healthcare degree and turn it into something else where she can use her other skill sets, which is writing and editing and all of that stuff. So she's kind of made a different career out of being a healthcare attorney and you can do the same thing. You just have to find out what drives you and what moves you and,
Starting point is 00:39:13 and your degree is going to help you in many ways. Yes. I mean, you just listed a bunch of them. So like you should be doing a podcast where you're giving advice to people. Maybe that's your maybe that's the yeah the landmark of the overconfident only daughter yeah yeah right dear alex there's no reason yeah leave it to chelsea to try to put you back to work she just said she needed rest chelsea okay she's like oh you start a podcast uh come up with merch i love it thank you guys so much okay take care alex thank you i'll take care Well, that was fucking easy. Yeah, I know.
Starting point is 00:39:52 Like that girl was already doing everything that she needed to be told. I know, she's doing great. And you know, we don't think of like taking these periods of rest as like rest is part of the work. Like you said, Chelsea, like we don't think of it that way, but I think it's important to think of it that way. Yeah, yeah, no, I do. I'm a big proponent of that.
Starting point is 00:40:11 I mean, how do you feel about that, Atsuko? Do you guys get rest? Do you actually rest? you said you found the balance of work and play I'm still finding that but I think it's because if you're really into work and you're afraid to like rest too long you can totally schedule it in you can put it in a calendar you know what I mean so that you know oh this week is for play and then next week is for work so if you feel anxiety about playing too hard then you can do that you know just like I think you can schedule in sex I'm a big you know scheduler of sex I actually schedule
Starting point is 00:40:46 the sex between you and Ryan. I don't know if you knew that, but I actually am the one that puts that on your calendar. It's in Chelsea for seven years. Yeah. No, no wonder. I was like, wow, it's very frequent this month for some reason. Yes. I decided to step things up this month specifically. I said, we need to work. Who's making us do it from 8am to 8pm? Yours truly. Thank you. Well, our next caller is Sarah. She says, dear Chelsea, I've been in my husband's family for almost 15 years and recently had a falling out with my sister-in-law, my husband's brother's wife. She's been icing me out ever since. I found out she had the whole family over for our niece's birthday, and my husband and I were not invited. In her words, it wasn't a,
Starting point is 00:41:28 quote, party, but a, quote, drop by with cake and gifts. I can accept this, but the problem is now my sister-in-law will not speak to me at family events or text me back ever since I expressed my hurt at not being invited. My biggest concern is she's the aunt to my two children and continues to fawn over them while ignoring me at family events. I was in her wedding, yet I feel as though I'm being treated as a complete stranger. I've kept my side of the street clean by reaching out to her, and she continues to talk to members of my husband's family, but not directly to me about what she's upset about. I need a real bitch's advice on how to move forward from this. Do I humble myself and try to discuss the miscommunication again, or just act like nothing
Starting point is 00:42:07 happened. We've been closed for eight years. So this is quite the proverbial slap in the face. Help, Sarah. Hi, Sarah. Oh, hi. Hi. Otsuko Okatsuka is our special guest today. Hello. Hi. Hi. So what was the falling out? What happened? Well, so the actual falling out was like it was her daughter's birthday. And we had been texting like that morning. I had given her a gift earlier on in the week, like to give to her daughter, because I knew I wasn't going to see her on her birthday, because she was like, you know, well, we're going out of town and all this stuff. So then the morning of her birthday, she actually sent me like I sent her a video from my daughter, who's her cousin saying, you know, happy birthday, hope you have a great day.
Starting point is 00:42:53 And then she sent a video back of like the whole family singing happy birthday to her daughter. There was a cake, you know, there were the present, the present I had given her like earlier that week and they were all like singing. And I was like, so everyone was invited. So I responded and I said, wait a second. I'm sorry. Hold on. Back up. You gave her a gift because you weren't going to be able to see her on her birthday. Exactly. And then she had a birthday party on her birthday. Yes. But when I said that my feelings were hurt because we live three minutes away, literally right up the road. But how did you know you weren't going to see her on your birthday, her birthday? Because she said that they were going out of town like her and, you know,
Starting point is 00:43:33 her daughter and her husband were going out of town. And she was like, well, we're just going on our trip, you know, for our daughter's birthday. So, you know, thanks for giving me the gift now, you know, and so I felt like it was kind of omitted. But yeah, then when I expressed that, I was like, her, you know, by not being invited, because she sent me that video. So I was like, this is kind of like, really strange, right? I said, you know, I heard that, like, you know, we weren't invited, because we live right up the road. And then she didn't talk to me after that. at all. That was the falling out that there was no prior falling out. Yes. That's confusing. Is it even a falling out? Like what is it? No, I, I, I, the way I listened to your letter,
Starting point is 00:44:16 I thought I heard that you guys had a falling out and then this was like the aftermath of the falling out. So this is the actual incident. What is your husband has, does anyone in the family, has anyone conveyed to you what the issue is or why she didn't invite you or. No, I was never really given a conversation because she just didn't talk to me after that. So it was in a message with like her and her husband. And he did say right away, he was like, Oh, sorry, we didn't mean to exclude you. But she was like radio silent. So I was like, it was it something else that happened? Yeah, it sounds like something else happened that you're not aware of. So I would reach out to her again. First of all, your family members. So like, it's not really helpful to not
Starting point is 00:44:58 be speaking. And especially when you don't know what happened. So maybe you did something that you don't realize that hurt her feelings. And I would start with that. I would send her a text or an email or whatever's like the best way to contact her and just say, I'm so sorry. I don't know. Did I do something to hurt you? Because it feels like I did. And I want to make sure that I'm fully accountable, like totally just be the bigger person and ask her why she's upset with you. Like you're not responding to my texts. We've been friends for eight years. This is very strange. Please feel free to tell me if I've done something to hurt your feelings. Yeah. Hands down. Like good old fashioned communication, right?
Starting point is 00:45:35 Absolutely. You're part of the same family. So as long as there's not some huge rift, like this should be fixable. Right. I totally agree. Oh, fantastic. You're the best. Well, I mean, it's pretty obvious advice. No offense. Freaking obvious. But you know what? It's been creating like just so much awkwardness you know yeah yeah it's tense like we have a lot of family events you know together we all live really close and then like you know I'll go to these events and like recently she started kind of being like hey you know like maybe that's her way of trying to get a little closer but then she still will not text and this is like going from us texting multiple times a week you know
Starting point is 00:46:14 our kids are going to the same daycare like going to exercise classes together too you know now she'll talk to me at the events every now and again like she'll be like oh hey like at least a hi but still like no text no personal contact so I'm like I wonder if she's trying to just like show face for like the in-laws and stuff you know I wonder if this is a like to pull her aside at one of the family events sort of thing and like get her face to face because I feel like sometimes when people are being weird like this if you actually just like address it to their face they'll like totally back down like oh no no there's like nothing weird and then it's like well they do sort of have to stick to their guns a little bit more whereas via text like she might
Starting point is 00:46:50 give you like a one word like i'm fine everything's fine or whatever and then continue to be a weirdo you know right like humanize myself a little bit yeah yeah i would say that's right i would say to do it in person so that she can't just not respond because then it's just more of the same it's so weird to not respond but something must have happened that you're not aware of yeah you're right you know i and i'm like i was i've been overthinking it going through it like I'm like what could this possibly be you know I thought of addressing it with my mother-in-law myself because she's one of the people that she's been talking to you know like about and my mother-in-law is super cool like she I know that she'd be open to a conversation but I don't want to open it up
Starting point is 00:47:27 to that you know like I thought I was being the better person initially by not doing that like I was like this is between her and I like let's just knock it out but I think an in-person conversation would have been better I just thought maybe she needed space like I didn't know really you know how to approach it because this has never happened to me before especially in my tight-knit group you know your rider dies right so this is like totally crazy yeah I would say like yeah talk to her in person if she's still it's sort of like then she has to either commit to like no everything's fine or like if she keeps acting weird after that then you got to address it again and be like all right what's the deeper thing here is there anything and then if she keeps being weird I guess just
Starting point is 00:48:09 let her be kind of weird, you know, like you don't necessarily have to be talking to her the entire time of family events sort of thing, but just know that, you know, you're still keeping your side of the street clean. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Cause if you ask her what's up and she hasn't, and she's like, there's nothing, nothing wrong. Then you're like, okay, fine. I tried whatever. Like, I don't know what to do with you. I don't know what happened. You're not going to tell me the truth and there's nothing else you could do. Yeah. And hopefully she will change her tune. You know, I hope so. I mean, cause I, cause yeah, I feel like I've always been a good friend. Like into like a speech at her wedding because her like sister didn't want to do it stuff like that
Starting point is 00:48:41 whatever but there hasn't been anything i can think of that was just like oh i really like pissed her off you know it was like just i i felt maybe she i don't know i've like been going around like was she pulling back for a while like they hit it straight on and then you know if you if you don't get the answer you like then wait a little bit and then talk to her mother your mother in law and be like listen i don't know what's going on here but this isn't like a healthy dynamic. Like we all have kids. I want to be friends. I don't understand what happened. I asked her what happened. She won't tell me. So how can I, you know what I mean? But start with her and just be, be direct so that she has to answer you. Totally. And like, and I'm okay with
Starting point is 00:49:17 not being like bestie sister-in-laws too. We've been friends for a long time, but I'm like, it's all right. If, if that's what it's going to be, you know, us just seeing each other at the family events, it's just, there was no, I guess that would be a weird conversation for her to have with me to be like hey i don't want to be as close as we are you know like can we just but um yeah maybe that is it but that seems a little odd weird way to go about it right will you check in with us after you guys have a conversation let us know if things get better absolutely all right okay well good luck thanks sarah good luck bye-bye thanks bye ozco you don't have a sister-in-law right do ryan doesn't have siblings or does he he does he has two yeah and so that's still a
Starting point is 00:50:01 dynamic for me too to learn you know yeah because it's like there are relatives but they kind of are not you know and so it's like how much well they are your relatives let's go first of all they are oops i know they're like listening they're like excuse me what are we and i'm like are you friends now you're gonna be fighting with your sisters-in-law i had a small family growing up so i'm like okay i guess it's new i'm still learning this chosen family versus regular family thing, you know, because I married Ryan and then suddenly I'm an aunt too. Right. So that's a lot to figure out. It's like, well, maybe I'm not good at being an aunt and I'm okay. I'm not great. Yeah. But you know what? You can always improve on your anting skills. It's a new role. So,
Starting point is 00:50:45 you know, like, I don't know, being an aunt is kind of the best of both worlds. You get to be an aunt with no responsibility. You know what I mean? You get to just be like a fun infuser, which is I take yeah I take a lot of joy in that and especially I take a lot of joy when things get serious it's like get the fuck out of here you know like if you've got real problems go talk to your parents no it's true I know you love it yeah I'm just I'm always trying I'm still not completely me around them I think when I can I see yeah yeah right because I'm like still getting to know the sister-in-law so I'm like I'm like yes I you know I I will not curse around you and yes, I, you know, I will give you money. And I'm like, God, I'm going broke.
Starting point is 00:51:28 Sounds like a great setup. I won't curse around you and I have to pay you. Perfect. Oh my God. Yeah. I'm like, what am I in a church? Maybe you should start swearing and then you can put money in a tip jar or in a swear jar. Every time you swear, you get to give them a dollar. Okay. We're going to take a break and we'll be right back with Otsko. behind every night spent making the kids lunches there's a lot of suspense will they finally eat the veggies will the pesto survive the first bite will the lunchbox come home empty half full or come home at all and will you finish episode eight before you're done slicing the cucumbers get bell pure fiber internet with crave netflix and disney plus from 94 a month price guaranteed
Starting point is 00:52:08 for two years on internet with a two-year term and auto pay credit visit bell.ca for details and to check availability. Bell. Connection is everything. When I was 14 years old, I was kidnapped and held captive for nine months. I survived, and I've spent my life exploring how other people survive what should have destroyed them. I'm Elizabeth Smart, and these are The Survivor Files.
Starting point is 00:52:32 I just remember this low, taunting voice next to my ear saying, shut up, don't say anything. every week i'm with survivors who live through the unthinkable i knew if he woke up without a doubt he was going to hurt me i started feeling that there was someone at the end of my bed and i just started screaming they are abducted stalked controlled and nearly silenced but these aren't stories about what's taken from them they're stories about what it takes to make it out alive Listen to The Survivor Files with Elizabeth Smart on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. If your bookshelf and your For You page are equally important to your personality, welcome home.
Starting point is 00:53:23 This is Prose Society, the weekly podcast that's part book club, part group chat for thought daughters, pop culture obsessives, and anyone who thinks Pride and Prejudice and Love Island deserve the same level of discourse. I'm Eli Rallo, and every week we're connecting the dots between books, the internet, and the conversations everyone can't stop having. I'm going to have to look up this story. I'm obsessed. I'm obsessed. From best-selling authors and your favorite book talk creators to the latest pop culture moments, nothing is off the table. It's like if you can hide some real messages inside compelling characters, then that is a Trojan horse.
Starting point is 00:53:59 Whether you're looking for literary deep dives, smart pop culture conversations, or a community of readers who love to think a little too much, you're in the right place. Listen to Pro Society on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. See you between the pages. On the new podcast, Solita, we share the messy reality of traveling alone as a woman.
Starting point is 00:54:23 I can wait four hours for the next bus or this random dude is offering me a ride on his motorcycle. I chose option B. I'm Julie Pinheiro, and I travel by myself because it's a rare space where I can say yes without asking anyone else first. I'm on a mission to reclaim the word solita, trading the pity for possibility.
Starting point is 00:54:44 Every time I tried to be alone, I kept meeting people and they were like, you smiled at us. Not a lot of people smile around here. It's when you're alone that you're most receptive to the world as it is and not the lies you're sold about it. It can be a time where you push your limits, change your mind or wake up to a new version of yourself so whether you're a solo travel veteran or you're too nervous to book your first trip i hope you listen to solita on the iheart radio app
Starting point is 00:55:12 apple podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts and we're back with atsuko okatsuka who's got a new special out on disney and Hulu. You can watch it on Hulu and Disney+. It is called Father, and it is her sophomore special. Okay, what else do we got? What do we have to wrap things up today, Catherine? We have one quickie
Starting point is 00:55:36 to wrap up with. Abby says, Dear Chelsea, I have a close friend that has recently started sending me voice recordings of her singing. She sings beautifully, but her boyfriend doesn't really care to hear her sing, so I think I'm the only one getting these,
Starting point is 00:55:52 which makes me sad. I don't ever listen to them in their entirety, sometimes not at all. How do I respond in a text to the constant voice recording messages? Or should I even respond, Abby? Wow. Yeah, wow.
Starting point is 00:56:07 This is a very specific- Very specific. Very specific incident and very specific, yeah. But it is like text etiquette that's evolving. Well, etiquette, I mean, the etiquette is blown out the window by the person recording songs and sending them to her fucking friend who does that yeah I mean I guess somebody who has a boyfriend that won't listen to her sing which is another problem that she has I would just write honestly I would write beautiful a couple of times and that and then I
Starting point is 00:56:37 would stop responding that's what I would do but I don't know I mean you want to give your friend some positive feedback because she clearly isn't getting it at home and if she is a beautiful singer and you're not telling a lie, even if it was bad singing, I would write, that's beautiful. And then I would write that a couple times. I would write the same thing exactly. Like, that's beautiful.
Starting point is 00:56:56 And then the next time, that's beautiful. And then I stop responding. Yeah. Yeah, it's kind of like when a kid is showing you a rock over and over. Yeah. And you're like, that's really good. That's so good.
Starting point is 00:57:11 And then they're like, here's a song. That's really cute too. that's so good and then and then you know if you exactly like you know it's a positive reinforcement thing it once they stop hearing it they go okay I've had my fill of feeling good yes yes I mean I I get emails I have a friend who is like just keep sending me emails and she wants like our relationship ended a long time ago and she's trying to rekindle our relationship and I'm not interested but I'm not I don't want to be mean I'm just serious like I'm not interested in rekindling. Like it's, I don't have the bandwidth. Let's move on. I, so I, I wrote back
Starting point is 00:57:47 the first time, like, this is very sweet. I want nothing but the best for you. I'm sending you so much love. I really don't have any space in my life right now to rekindle our friendship. I don't mean that as an affront to you. I don't hold any ill will towards you, but that's how I feel. And I'm, you know, I'm pretty busy. So let's just move on in our separate ways and let go. Then I get another email then I get a fourth email I got four emails and I'm like she's trying to basically harass me into rekindling our friendship and now I have to be like I so I stopped responding you know but if I get another one I'm gonna be like you're now you're harassing me like I set a boundary that you're not like yeah this is a now this isn't the same as getting a voice memo of
Starting point is 00:58:29 of a song but but either way they're both attacks okay either way they're both attacks and you're trapped and you didn't ask for it. It is. It's an assault. It's an assault. We all deserve our own boundaries. You know, her boyfriend created one with that with her. And now you might need to with her, too. I had a friend years ago who would like actually do this in person. She'd be like, oh, a new song for my album. And she would be like, let me just play a little snippet. And then she would play it. But she'd play the whole song and then sing it like a foot from my face to my face and I'm like too much of a people pleaser to just like go away. But just be grateful this is a voice memo. You can listen to two seconds a day. I have an idea. Tell her to post
Starting point is 00:59:13 it online. That's validation she can get from somewhere else. Beautiful. You should post this on Instagram. You should post this. That's great advice. Brilliant. Brilliant. And hopefully the response is positive because otherwise you're going to be dealing with a different friend after she gets some public public shaming critique I've hooked up with a couple of guys that are in the industry and when I've hooked up with them I've had one guy show me his pilot an episode of a pilot that he shot from start to finish and this was before we were supposed to have sex of course I couldn't have sex with him after because I don't want to see your pilot and then I had another guy show me a sizzle reel from a movie that he was producing and I was like
Starting point is 00:59:52 you're you're killing my boner like I don't know why people don't understand that that's like me inviting people over and saying, watch my standup special or Otzko inviting people over and being like, Hey, not even inviting them to watch a special saying, Hey, do you want to hear some jokes from my special? It's like, if they did, they'd fucking come see you perform. It's just also like, it's so unselfaware. Like nobody wants to do that. It's like taking videos. I can compare it to when I'm in Whistler. I take videos for like when I'm skiing with the kids, they want videos all the time of them. They're going to jump off this or they're going to go in the park and they're going to ride this rail. And I don't fucking have time for that shit. I'm not here
Starting point is 01:00:29 to take videos of children. If I wanted to take videos of children, I would have had children. You know what I mean? I don't, I'm not the one. You go, here's a GoPro. What's beautiful is it captures your actions while you move without someone else doing it. You know, it's these things. I had a guy, I had a guy read me poetry before sex too. And I told him to say, I said, that was good that was beautiful that same thing you told her to do and uh afterwards he goes thank you I'm either thinking of being a poet that travels around the world or be a cop I said those are two very different things sweetie and by then it was like an hour in you know so exactly it's like respect I came here for you I'm gonna offer you my my body yeah my body and my choice
Starting point is 01:01:16 And you should actually, anyone who's on the fence about becoming a poet who's going to travel the world and their other option is a cop, you should just have them become a cop. Yeah. We need more poetry and police work. Yes, I agree. Yeah. But I don't know. His poems were intense. So anyway.
Starting point is 01:01:35 Well, first of all, this is the first I'm hearing that you took another lover before you met Ryan. And does he know about it? Does Ryan know about it? Ryan, do you know about this? you're like as a good well I'll put it in the calendar our shared calendar that the three of us share I yeah I want to yeah I like that we share a calendar and I want to continue that I want to continue that through 2028 at the very least yeah just put any thoughts notes in there that you want I have thoughts and notes for all all of us all three of us I'll be the leader of
Starting point is 01:02:04 our calendar yes please thank you mother thank you daughter okay Otsuko love talking to you I'm sorry that this is the way we have to catch up now. I mean, with our busy travel schedules, but, um, I'm going to send you guys, I'm going to send you guys some dates and see if you couldn't want to come to
Starting point is 01:02:21 Mallorca this summer. We'll see what you're doing. I'm only going for a week this summer, but I have a little fun group of comics. So maybe you guys can come. I'll send you dates. Yes. Okay.
Starting point is 01:02:30 Sounds good. Yes. Okay. Love you. Congrats on your new special. I haven't seen it yet. You guys, because they haven't sent it to me.
Starting point is 01:02:37 So I, otherwise I would be waxing poetic about how funny it is. Cause I know it's fucking funny. Cause it's Otzko. ridiculous. So it's called Father and you can watch it on Hulu Disney Plus. You're incredible. Goodbye. Have a great day. Bye. So I added a couple of new dates. I'm not on tour yet, but I added a couple of dates just because I felt like we need a little bit more laughter and a little bit more medicine for the end of the year. And I was wrapping things up, but I thought maybe
Starting point is 01:03:04 let me do a couple more. So I'm adding three more dates in addition to my Vegas residency. I'm doing West Hampton Beach, August 21st. I'm headlining the Rochester Fringe Comedy Festival, September 13th, and I will be in Napa on October 3rd. So those will be my last dates of the year. Do you want advice from Chelsea? Write into DearChelseaPodcast at gmail.com. Find full video episodes of Dear Chelsea on YouTube by searching at Dear Chelsea Pod. Dear Chelsea is edited and engineered by Brad Dickert, executive producer Catherine Law. and be sure to check out our merch at chelseahandler.com i survived nine months in captivity and i've spent my life exploring how other people survive
Starting point is 01:03:49 what should have destroyed them i'm elizabeth smart and these are the survivor files every week i'm with survivors who live through the unthinkable abducted stalked controlled and nearly silenced. These are stories about what it takes to make it out alive. Listen to The Survivor Files with Elizabeth Smart on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. If your bookshelf and your For You page are equally important to your personality, welcome home. Pro Society is a weekly podcast that's part book club, part group chat for anyone who thinks Pride and Prejudice and Love Island deserve the same level of discourse. Each week, we're connecting the dots between books, the internet, and pop culture
Starting point is 01:04:32 with your favorite writers, book talk creators, and plenty of overthought opinions. Yeah, I'm obsessed. I'm obsessed. Listen to Pro Society on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. I'm Hoda Kotb, host of the podcast Joy 101 with Hoda Kotb. You know, I'm always searching for inspiration and useful tools to maximize joy. Like when my friend Henry Winkler offered advice to aspiring actors and really anybody hoping to stand out. You're not hired just to fill time and space. You're hired to fill the space with you.
Starting point is 01:05:07 Listen to Joy 101 with Hoda Kotb on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Our hometown is not a test tube. 90 miles northeast of Nashville, a battle for the future of America plays out in one small town. Developers with right-wing ties have purchased hundreds of acres of land. We need cities on a shining hill. This is Our Town, a podcast about what happens when a small town becomes the site of a social experiment and fights back. Guess you didn't move in on a bunch of dumb hillbillies now, did you?
Starting point is 01:05:41 Listen to Our Town on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. This is an iHeart Podcast. Guaranteed human. Thank you.

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