The Lonely Hour

#31 Why Boredom Leads to Creativity, with Manoush Zomorodi

Manoush Zomorodi, host of the Note to Self podcast, makes the case for rethinking our digital habits and being more purposeful about putting boredom into our lives. Part one of The Lonely Hour's mini-series, Inner Lives.

Original illustration by Payton Cosell Turner.

#30 The Loss of Faith and a Marriage, the Gaining of an Identity

Having grown up in a born-again Christian community with strict rules governing how best to live, James finally woke up to the fact that he didn’t know himself—and that his marriage was crumbling. He turned inward, retreating to a cabin in the Catskills, to figure it all out.

This episode is sponsored by Audible and Away. Original illustration by Payton Cosell Turner.

#29 Facing Dead-of-Winter Maine Alone in a Tent

Brandon Baltzley is the chef and co-owner of a restaurant called the Buffalo Jump. Determined to kick his substance abuse issues, he climbed a snow- and ice-covered hill in the dark to reach his home for the next month of his life: a yurt with no heat or running water.

 

This episode is sponsored by HelloFresh and Care/of Vitamins. Original illustration by Payton Cosell Turner.

#28 One Month—No Schedule, No Internet, and No Electricity

How losing both parents, navigating the transition of her only sibling, and extreme burnout led film producer Annabelle Dunne to seek solitude in Sri Lanka with just a cot and 17 books—and what it taught her about how she should lead her life now that she’s back home. 

 

This episode is sponsored by Audible and Away. Original illustration by Payton Cosell Turner.

Alone Together: Spend Valentine’s Day With Yourself If You Want To

Comedian Lane Moore, host of Tinder Live author of the new essay collection How to Be Alone: If You Want To, and Even If You Don't, talks about “stranger luck” and how she plans on spending Valentine's Day with her dog, Lights.

#27 Looking for Clarity Halfway Around the World

After a decade in New York working as a talent agent and a producer in fashion and a loss in her family, Kamey Butler sacrificed leaving her friends and familiar places to try to regain control the only way she knew how: She bought a one-way ticket to Cape Town. 

 

Original illustration by Payton Cosell Turner.

We’re baaaaaccckkkkk!

Find four new episodes of The Lonely Hour on Stitcher Premium. Subscribe now at stitcher.com/lonelyhour. 

#26 The Loneliness of Losing Yourself

Abandon Me author and former heroin addict and dominatrix Melissa Febos discusses what it’s like to lose your identity to addiction and obsession—and host Julia Bainbridge signs off with a meditation on living in that loneliness.

#25 Weird in a World That’s Not

Jennifer Romolini, author of the new memoir and career guide, Weird in a World That's Not, opens her book with this: “I am not supposed to be here. I spent the first 28 years of my life as a fuckup and a failure. I failed and I failed and I failed.” And then she became a professional success—and wrote a book about it. She speaks about her journey on today’s episode.

Coming Next Week!

Writer Jennifer Romolini visits the show next week. Here's an excerpt from her new book, Weird in a World That's Not.