We turned the studio into a restaurant for the day—because when Phil Rosenthal’s in the house, you don’t just talk about food, you eat it!

Phil—the genius behind Everybody Loves Raymond and Somebody Feed Phil—joins us for a heartfelt, hilarious meal where we dive into everything from sitcoms and food shows to gratitude, creativity, and finding joy in the everyday. Sure, we talk about the evolving world of television and the secrets to mastering great storytelling—but this episode isn’t just about food and show business.

Phil reveals the best life advice he’s ever received—and it might just change the way you live.

As lovers of the LA food scene, we also used this episode as a chance to highlight and support some of our favorite local restaurants. Because nothing pairs better with great conversation than a table full of incredible local bites.

Breakfast Burritos: Civil Coffee

Fried Chicken: Anajak Thai (surprise guest experience from owner and chef Justin Pichetrungsi)

Hand Rolls: The Joint

Liver Pâté: Petit Trois

Basque Cheesecake: Pasjoli

Watch the new season of Somebody Feed Phil on Netflix

Check out more of Phil’s work: philrosenthalworld.com

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This episode is brought to you by True Classic!

I really love their T-shirts, so we called them up and asked if they wanted to work together. And they said yes!

Check out their clothes at: trueclassictees.com

Magic moments do happen in real life. If you ask Brad Meltzer, magic happens when ordinary people choose to do the extraordinary.

Brad is a prolific writer and bestselling author. He’s published over 70 books in nearly every genre you can think of—thriller novels, biographies, children’s books, film and television. He’s written comic books for iconic superheroes like Spider-Man, Superman, and Batman. And in 2024, his commencement speech at the University of Michigan went viral for its simple, powerful message—to shock the world, unleash your kindness.

In this conversation, Brad tells me how his journey from a writer drowning in debt to bestselling author would not have been possible without the extraordinary kindness of a few ordinary strangers. He shares how other people’s negativity can become inspiration, why fictional heroes inspire us so much, and how ordinary people change the world.

This…is A Bit of Optimism.

For more on Brad and his work, check out:

his book, Make Magic

bradmeltzer.com