VCM: What sparked the idea of creating a podcast?

Rainn: So I recently wrote a book called “Soul Boom, Why We Need a Spiritual Revolution.” In the course of making the book, I got to interview a whole bunch of people that I quoted, kind of stole a lot of great ideas. And I just thought, you know, this needs to be an ongoing conversation. People were very intrigued by the idea of what a spiritual revolution looks like.

It's conversations about just being a human

I spoke a lot about mental health, my own mental health journey, the need for solutions to mental health, but most of all, it's conversations about just being a human being and all of the struggles and ups and downs that we go through. It's the rich, deep, gooey, juicy human experience in the conversation form. And it's my favorite thing in the world to do, is to have those kinds of conversations.

VCM: What kind of people do you imagine tuning into your show?

Rainn: First and foremost, there might be a lot of Dwight Schrute fans out there that are intrigued by why the hell the guy who played Dwight is having conversations on deep philosophical, psychological and spiritual topics. I think that people that are curious about spirituality and don't necessarily come at it from any specific church or belief system, in other words, spiritual, but not religious. Those are also in the audience. I think falafel lovers will love this podcast and Komodo dragon owners are really going to dig it. It really appeals to a very wide range of people. Beekeepers.

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VCM:  What do you hope listeners take away from each episode?

Rainn: I think the only reason to talk about the deep, gooey, rich experience of being a human being is if you're inspired, if the conversation is elevated, if it enlightens you, if you gain something, if it touches your heart, and if there are tangible things that the conversation helps you take away. I'm speaking with some brilliant people, some funny people, some wise people, some people that have been through the ringer, folks that are dealing with mental health issues and have kind of found their way out. Folks with a whole lot of wisdom. So my goal is to inspire, but I don't want to be too precious. I want to be a little bit irreverent and have a lot of fun in the conversations and to have tangible takeaways that can make people's lives better and richer.

Falafel lovers will love this podcast and Komodo dragon owners

VCM: Do you have a favorite moment from your podcast?

Rainn: There have been so many incredible stories from the people that I've interviewed already. I mean, getting to talk to Angela Kinsey, you know, my real work wife that we were married on camera after all, and we've gone through so much together and she is so precious and getting to connect on a deeper level in a conversation like this was really touching, super memorable.

But I'm really excited for the audience to see that it's all the same. A conversation with a standup comic with The New York Times best selling author, with an actor, with a convict, you name it, a meditation teacher. We're getting a rabbi, every possible kind of thinker, speaker, feeler, doer, we're having right here in the Soul Boom Kitchen.