God & Other Delicacies

David Sacks

A Torah Scholar eloquently speaks on his faith, the Afterlife, on Angels, on science, on love, on friendship, on community; on what it means to choose to believe; Emmy and Golden Globe-winner with an enrapturing style of storytelling.
 
David Sacks (Emmy and Golden Globe-winning Writer/Executive Producer: The Simpsons, 3rd Rock From The Sun... currently the animated series Final Space) visits the studio, and it is instantly apparent that he lives his life in a devout, contemplative, and mindful place.  The conversation deepens so quickly that Nick doesn't even remember to ask David about breakfast until after the second break!  David is a Co-founder and Senior Lecturer at The Happy Minyan in Beverly Hills, CA, and it's clear why -- he is a masterful storyteller, a fluid Torah scholar, and a man whose organizing principles are love, friendship, and community.  David openly tackles many elevated subjects, ranging from his foundational faith in God, to how he views the Afterlife.  It was an extraordinarily reverent conversation, and I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.  
On Sunday mornings, you can sit in on his class "Spiritual Tools for an Outrageous World"... Or, you can listen to his lectures on iTunes by clicking HERE.
 
The Happy Minyan's Instagram: @thehappyminyan
 
Twitter: @nicholasdagosto #GodsDelicateShow 
Instagram: @nicholasdagosto #GodsDelicateShow
Official Website: nicholasdagosto.com  
Music by Sean Whalen, Art by Alexandra Delano

Halie Rosenberg

On being raised a Quaker; the value of communal, meditative silence; the sudden deaths of her beloved father and step-mother just six weeks apart; and the decision, in the wake of those deaths, to leave her previous job and pursue a happier and more fulfilling future.
 
Halie Rosenberg (Writer/Producer, SEO Strategist for Fortune 500 Companies) visits the studio and wastes no time dropping the ‘ol 1-2 punch: Quakerism and Cabbage.  (Halie was raised a Quaker, and it turns out she also loves cabbage.)  Halie generously opens up about the philosophy of the Quakers, and how their practice of meditative silence in "Meetings" still influences her today.  Even more compelling are her reflections on the deaths of her father and step-mother, just six weeks apart.  Their shocking loss has inspired Halie to re-think her present, live more in the moment, and re-define for herself what a happier and more fulfilling future might look like.  It’s a deeply thoughtful, informative, sometimes sad, and yet very funny conversation.  It was a joy to have her on the show.
 
Something that might interest you: This list of surprising celebrity Quakers!
 
Halie's Instagram: @yrpalhal
 
Twitter: @nicholasdagosto #GodsDelicateShow 
Instagram: @nicholasdagosto #GodsDelicateShow
Official Website: nicholasdagosto.com  
Music by Sean Whalen, Art by Alexandra Delano

Julia Cunningham

The daughter of a Thomas Merton scholar; her belief in ghosts; fond memories of her Catholic upbringing and affection for the Greek Orthodox Church; an ebb in her spirituality; her recent marriage; and a new assessment of what she wants her family faith structure to look like.
 
Julia Cunningham (SiriusXM DJ and Co-Host of "The Jess Cagle Show") takes time out of her busy schedule (she's leaving for her honeymoon tomorrow!) to visit the studio and rap about growing up the daughter of a Theologian who specialized in Thomas Merton.  Julia has fond memories of her Catholic upbringing, as well as the years where her family would go to service at a Greek Orthodox Church, but her participation in the religion fell away in her early adulthood as she pursued her career.  Now, having just been married, she's turning her mind toward what her family faith structure might look like in the future.  She also discusses meditation, ghosts, and the cat outside her window that won't stop pulling at her heartstrings.
 
Something I'd Like to Do Now: Visit the University of Notre Dame, with its' famous Golden Dome, in Autumn. 
 
Julia's Instagram: @juliacunninghaaam
 
Twitter: @nicholasdagosto #GodsDelicateShow
Instagram: @nicholasdagosto #GodsDelicateShow 
Official Website: nicholasdagosto.com  
Music by Sean Whalen, Art by Alexandra Delano

Ken Hanes

Raised a Seventh Day Adventist; an emotional tribute to his beloved late wife and partner; stories about his father's PTSD suffered in the European campaigns of WWII; his entrepreneurial spirit as a young man; and gratitude for the life and love he has held and continues to hold in his life.
 
Ken Hanes (Television Writer/Director/Executive Producer: Midnight, Texas, Rizzoli & Isles, Make It Or Break It) and Nicholas are old friends from their time working together on the USA pilot Eden - but that doesn't keep Nicholas from surprising Ken with his favorite "Gotcha!" question: "What did you have for breakfast this morning?"  (Note: Ken passed with flying colors.)  Ken, in turn, surprises Nicholas by sharing his upbringing as a Seventh Day Adventist, his entrepreneurial (read: hustling!) spirit as a young man, and the fact that he's still fit enough to play a tough game of basketball weekly.  Most affecting, however, are the stories Ken shares about his father's PTSD suffered during the European campaigns of WWII, and his love for his late wife, Mary.  Ken pays an emotional tribute to his beloved wife, partner and friend.  And as Mary and Nicholas were also friends (Mary co-wrote Eden with Ken), the conversation is full of love, compassion, and deep reflection.  It was a true honor to have Ken on the show.
 
Something that knocked my socks on my ass: Ken spent many seasons as an actor on The Bold And The Beautiful!!!     
 
Twitter: @nicholasdagosto #GodsDelicateShow
Instagram: @nicholasdagosto #GodsDelicateShow 
Official Website: nicholasdagosto.com 
Music by Sean Whalen, Art by Alexandra Delano 

Anam Vadgama

A devoted Muslim; a new understanding of Islam; the tension between being a modern female Princeton grad, and a Muslim woman committed to activism and support of her Indian community in Mumbai; celebrating and participating in many rituals in the collectivist culture of India; a heart-wrenching story from her childhood; and her radiant joy for living. 
 
Anam Vadgama (Staff Member at the non-profit charity The Life You Can Save) and Nicholas met at a Los Angeles charity event for TLYCS, and Nicholas was thrilled to get her into the studio before she hopped on a plane that would ultimately take her back to her home in Mumbai, India.  Anam is a recent graduate of Princeton, and a brilliant and passionate activist for social change, especially in her own community.  She is a devoted and faithful Muslim - the religion within which she was raised - but her own study of Islam has led her to a new understanding and appreciation of her faith.  The tension between being a modern female Ivy League graduate, and a Muslim woman devoted to her Indian community, is palpable in her story, and it informs the direction of her life.  She is inspiring and courageous, and she has a lot to share about religion, including how she joyfully celebrates the religions of all of her friends (and they hers) in her Indian collectivist culture.  It was a great honor to have her on the show.   
 
A gift Anam brought me!: The Sixth String of Vilayat Khan   
An important clarification: Anam speaks at one point about the Five Categories of Human Action in Sharia Law, and has trouble remembering one of the five... but only because she forgot it in English, not Arabic! 
Another important clarification: My son eats much healthier when his mother isn't working out of town (read: Daddy pretty much just cooks noodles). 
 
Anam's Instagram: @anamvadgama
 
Twitter: @nicholasdagosto #GodsDelicateShow
Instagram: @nicholasdagosto #GodsDelicateShow 
Official Website: nicholasdagosto.com  
Music by Sean Whalen, Art by Alexandra Delano

Charlie Bresler

Exec. Dir. of The Life You Can Save talks about preoccupation with his own death, and his belief that he will never see his family again in the afterlife; the challenge of the ego's pull towards vanity, and the desire to succeed in making the world a better place; how he got into Men's Wearhouse, then out of it; and the meaning he is pursuing in the final great adventures of his life.
 
Charlie Bresler (Volunteer Executive Director of the non-profit charity The Life You Can Save) visits the studio the morning of a big Los Angeles charity event for TLYCS, and in preparation for Nicholas' speech that night, Charlie gets him to open up about the always-compelling "Would you rather be called Nick or Nicholas" question (note: answer revealed!).  Following a plug for Le Pain Quotidien, Charlie talks about his preoccupation with his own death, and the turmoil he sometimes experiences regarding his belief that he will never see his family again in the afterlife.  Charlie is in deep reflection about what he views as his greatest challenge - dissolving the pull of his ego towards vanity, while at the same time remaining deeply active in the pursuit of making the world a better place.  It's a generous and inspiring interview, full of humor and tragedy and sincerity.   
 
A recommendation I was happy to receive: Buddhist Monk/Activist Thich Nhat Hanh   
 
The Life You Can Save's Instagram: @thelifeyoucansave
 
Twitter: @nicholasdagosto #GodsDelicateShow
Instagram: @nicholasdagosto #GodsDelicateShow 
Official Website: nicholasdagosto.com  
Music by Sean Whalen, Art by Alexandra Delano

Sherri Shepherd

TV, Film star opens up about her mothers' conversion to being a Jehovahs Witness, the painful separation with her father, and her mothers' early death; her faith journey in God; reflections on her tumultuous time on The View; how she got started in comedy, the first joke she ever told on stage, and so much more!
 
 
Sherri Shepherd (Mr. Iglesias, The Best Ever Trivia Show, The Masked Singer, 30 Rock, The View, Precious) and Nicholas reunite for the first time since their days on Trial & Error, and they jump right in to the conversation.  Sherri opens up about her mothers’ conversion to being a Jehovahs Witness, her subsequent painful family separation from her father, her mothers’ early death, and the twists and turns along the way.  Sherri reflects deeply about her often tumultuous time on The View, how she got started in comedy to begin with, and even the first joke she ever told on stage.  What shines through it all is Sherri’s optimism, her resilience, her faith in God, and her desire to always find what’s on the other side of her fears.  She also shares a little about the danger of wearing wigs while getting the Holy Ghost!  It was an absolute honor to have her on the show.
    
 
My first G.O.D. APB: If you’re the co-worker who helped inspire Sherri to be a comedian, please email me because she wants to thank you!!
 
 
Sherri's Instagram: @sherrieshepherd
       
 
Twitter: @nicholasdagosto #GodsDelicateShow 
 
 
Instagram: @nicholasdagosto #GodsDelicateShow 
    
 
Official Website: nicholasdagosto.com
    
 
Music by Sean Whalen, Art by Alexandra Delano

Kate VanDevender

Raised a Methodist to parents of science; her battle with suicidal depression; the strength and wisdom that came from surviving; self-realization and her new spiritual clarity; and the discovery of Sand Mirror Studio - her new creative ethos.
 
Kate VanDevender (Friends with Better Lives, Part Timers, The Actor Diaries... Founder of Sand Mirror Studio) visits the show, and Nicholas promptly gets the green light from Kate to head down to Santa Monica Pier and start doing trapeze over the Pacific Ocean (whaaat?!).  Kate was raised in the Methodist faith, to scientifically-minded parents.  Kate describes herself as ten times more emotional than the rest of her family, and that emotional connection has driven her to seek her own unique spiritual clarity.  Her journey is deeply compelling, and Nicholas is particularly blown away by the strength and wisdom she demonstrates while describing the time in her life when she battled a suicidal depression.  Sand Mirror Studio (formerly Sandplay LA), and a dynamic new creative ethos, is what she found on the other side. 
 
Something I need to write here: #DaraIsEverywhere 
 
Kate's Instagram: @vanderwow
Sand Mirror Studio's Instagram: @sandmirrorstudio
 
Twitter: @nicholasdagosto #GodsDelicateShow
Instagram: @nicholasdagosto #GodsDelicateShow 
Official Website: nicholasdagosto.com  
Music by Sean Whalen, Art by Alexandra Delano 
Interview Originally Recorded at Brigade Radio One Studios

Dr. Ronald Peterson

A Preacher's Kid; his appetite for reading made him rethink the religion within which he was raised; a lover of history with stories from a bygone era; and an enthusiasm for the illumination of the Bible in a factual context.
 
Dr. Ronald Peterson (Retired OB/GYN) comes on the show and instantly impresses Nicholas with his choice of juice at breakfast that morning (grapefruit).  Ron is a PK - a Preacher's Kid - and tells the story of growing up the son of a Pastor in the Swedish Lutheran Church.  Ron is an avid lover of history, and part of what makes his story so interesting is how it illuminates a bygone era.  What's more, Ron's historical knowledge, and his voracious appetite for reading, lead him in his adulthood to rethink and reinterpret the religious context within which he was raised, and in turn raised his family.  It also provides Nicholas an opportunity to geek out on some of his own favorite subjects - evolution and the history of life on Earth. 
 
Something I want to dive into: The Great Courses (a lecture series). 
 
Twitter: @nicholasdagosto #GodsDelicateShow
Instagram: @nicholasdagosto #GodsDelicateShow 
Official Website: nicholasdagosto.com  
Music by Sean Whalen, Art by Alexandra Delano 
Interview Originally Recorded at Brigade Radio One Studios        

Hopper Stone

Raised Reformed Jewish, but not devout, his fathers' death inspired him to embrace Kaddish - the traditional Jewish ritual of mourning; how to grieve properly and re-enter the living world; the global community of the Jewish diaspora; and being held in a time of need. 
 
Hopper Stone (Still Photographer for Film/TV, Photojournalist) visits the show, and Nicholas surprises him by being willing to mention the film they met on - Mardi Gras: Spring Break - a film, shot in New Orleans, that was never released in theaters (Read: It was very fun, but it didn't turn out great).  Hopper riffs humorously about growing up Reformed Jewish, but then goes on to tell a heartfelt and enlightening story about how his fathers' death inspired him to embrace the traditional Jewish practices of mourning - in particular, the ritual of saying Kaddish.  Hopper talks about how it demonstrated to him not only how to grieve properly and deeply for his father, but also how to end the period of grieving, and begin to re-enter the living world. 
 
Something I studied more after this conversation: The differences between Atheism and Agnosticism. 
 
Hopper's Instagram: @hopper_stone
 
Twitter: @nicholasdagosto #GodsDelicateShow
Instagram: @nicholasdagosto #GodsDelicateShow 
Official Website: nicholasdagosto.com  
Music by Sean Whalen, Art by Alexandra Delano 
Interview Originally Recorded at Brigade Radio One Studios