The Small Bow Podcast

Welcome to the Small Bow Podcast. I’m your host, A.J. Daulerio. This is a show about expanding the definition of recovery, where we talk to writers, entertainers, recovering addicts, recovering jerks, and even the occasional normal person — about their struggles with love, sex, money, loneliness, shame, grief, drugs, alcohol, ego, identity, fame, and other fun things. Whatever is bringing you down, you might find something here that you didn’t know you needed. In addition to this podcast, the Small Bow is also a newsletter and recovery community that I started in 2018 to chronicle my own path toward sobriety and sanity following multiple rehab stints and a very public ordeal in which I was a co-defendant in Gawker's groundbreaking legal trial against professional wrestler Hulk Hogan for publishing a portion of his sex tape. A Florida jury voted in favor of Hogan and awarded him $115 million, which bankrupted the company and torched my former life. But out of the ashes of that ordeal grew the Small Bow. If you like what we do, consider subscribing to our newsletter and joining our community. We publish essays, interviews and other musings on recovery, and have online recovery support meetings seven days a week. Sign up for the Small Bow newsletter & community at: http://www.thesmallbow.com IG: @smallbowmedia

Episodes

Ryan O'Connell on the Strange Sensation of Finally Being Seen

June 10, 2026 • 53 mins

Ryan O’Connell had an uncommon path to fame. After starting as a blogger in New York, he wrote a TV script about his life as a young, gay man with Cerebral Palsy. When the show was picked up by Netflix, the network insisted he star in it as well. Now that Special is in the rearview mirror, Ryan has gone back to his roots as a writer. He has a new book of essays out, called Inspiration Porn, which describes his life in Hollywo...

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Langhorne Slim Wanted to Flee. Then He Became a Father.

June 3, 2026 • 58 mins

Turns out Langhorne Slim and I have a lot in common. We both grew up in the Philly suburbs, we spent formative creative years in New York and we became dads in our forties. We’re also both in recovery. Langhorne’s got a new album out called The Dreaming Kind and he stopped by the studio to chat before playing a show at the Troubadour in LA. In this episode, we talk about the ways we’ve both struggled with the idea...

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Dopey Dave on Ego, Success and Why "More" is the Hardest Drug to Quit

May 27, 2026 • 45 mins

Dave Manheim (host of the Dopey Podcast) comes back on the show to drop some Dopey wisdom. We talk about ego, ambition, control issues, slowing down and how to be of service, self-servingly. Plus, what I learned from losing my wallet and why Dave hates the movie Inside Out. New episodes release every Wednesday. ➡️ Subscribe to The Small Bow Podcast YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@TheSmallBow?sub_confirmation=1 ➡️ Join The Smal...

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Mitchell Jackson on Crisis PR, Billionaire Clients and Cancel Culture

May 20, 2026 • 59 mins

As the publicist for some of the most controversial people in media, including Candace Owens, Clavicular and Adam Friedland, Mitchell Jackson runs toward chaos. I wanted to have him on the show to talk about his own sobriety and how he balances a professional life that’s full of drama with a private life that’s “drama-free.” We talk about Mitchell’s definition of cancellation, his dream clients (Madonn...

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Blair Socci on Returning to Standup After the Loss of her Brother

May 13, 2026 • 49 mins

How do you begin to laugh again after experiencing unimaginable grief? Comedian Blair Socci has been trying to answer this question since the sudden death of her brother, but the answer isn’t obvious. I wanted to have her on the show to hear how she’s doing and learn what her recent experience has taught her about vulnerability and healing. Blair’s loss is still fresh and this is a pretty raw conversation— s...

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Michael Strassner Made a Movie About the Night That Almost Killed Him

May 6, 2026 • 47 mins

Michael Strassner makes sure to watch the first scene of his film The Baltimorons at every screening, because he knows that if the events of that scene went differently, he wouldn't be around to watch them. He and I sit down for a frank and funny conversation about depression, getting sober by the skin of your teeth and finding unexpected laughter in recovery rooms. Plus, learning to love the birds at 4am. Please note: This episod...

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When you make a dog your “higher power,” what happens when they die?

April 29, 2026 • 48 mins

My friend Jeremy Luke did something you’re not supposed to do— two months after getting sober, he got a dog. That dog became his “No. 1 Sidekick” and suddenly Jeremy was a “dog guy,” trading in his bar friends for dog friends. When his dog Boogie died, Jeremy didn’t want to be sober anymore. In this conversation, we talk through the particular grief of losing an animal, especially one that...

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Why Alex Winter Quit Hollywood for 10 Years

April 22, 2026 • 60 mins

Every week, Alex Winter and I have a standing date at the House of Pies in LA. I like what he has to say about creativity, fame, sobriety— you know, all the stuff I’m interested in. Alex was on Broadway as a kid and then blew up when he starred in Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventure. In this conversation, we talk about how child stardom messes with your sense of self and why he had to quit the business to figure ...

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The Mushrooms Told Me to Stop Drinking

April 15, 2026 • 62 mins

Chris Witaske has "golden retriever" energy and he knows it, but there’s a bullied kid under that fun-loving guy. You probably know Chris as Pete on The Bear, or from those Progressive commercials. We talk about how he grew up drinking cheap beer in cornfields and dreaming of Animal House, only to crash out after a life-altering trip at a Phish concert. We reflect on the rockstars who made it out alive (Trey Anastasio) and th...

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How to be addicted to people with Elizabeth Gilbert

April 8, 2026 • 60 mins

When Elizabeth Gilbert wrote Eat Pray Love, she described her disordered relationship history using the language of addiction. It wasn’t until years later that she realized that for her, addiction wasn’t only a metaphor. In her new memoir All the Way to the River, Gilbert chronicles the chaos and degradation of her own sex and love addiction and how she finally got clean. The book is messy, and so is Liz. No easy answer...

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Jerry O'Connell on the Fears and Feelings We Push Down

April 1, 2026 • 67 mins

My friend Jerry O’Connell says he’s a simple guy. I wholeheartedly disagree. I was frankly surprised that he agreed to come on the show and discuss his recovery, a topic he has never spoken about publicly before, but I’m glad he was willing to get "serious" with me. We also discuss how he’s processing (or not processing) the shock of losing Stand By Me director Rob Reiner, a man who “changed his whole ...

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Petty Resentments and Righteous Anger: A Conversation with Cord Jefferson

March 25, 2026 • 74 mins

When I found out my old colleague Cord Jefferson was writing a TV show about our time together at Gawker, I got pissed. I think I called him an "a**face." I don't feel resentful toward Cord anymore, but I wanted to have him on the show to talk about why that got under my skin. Plus, I wanted to hear how his recent success winning the Oscar for writing American Fiction had impacted his creative life. Together, we inventory our petty...

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Amanda de Cadenet on Facing "Dire" Loneliness and Loving Alcoholics

March 18, 2026 • 59 mins

Amanda de Cadenet lost control at an early age. As a teenager, she was on TV, married to a rockstar and all over the tabloids, but she had a deep loneliness that she couldn’t face. When she entered recovery, she stepped behind the camera for the first time and discovered the power of her own gaze. Now, as the host of “The Conversation with Amanda de Cadenet,” she creates space for some of the world’s best-kn...

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Joe Buck on How to Look Into the Camera When You're Deeply Insecure

March 11, 2026 • 64 mins

People love to dunk on Joe Buck. They think one of the most accomplished play-by-play guys in the history of sports is robotic, elitist or boring. What you may not realize is that the worst things you've yelled at Joe Buck, he's definitely thought about himself. Together, we talk about the strangeness of being on camera and Joe's relationship with vanity, nepotism and never feeling like "enough." Plus, if you were waiting for us to...

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Why Does Jenn Sterger Still Talk To Me?

March 4, 2026 • 76 mins

I never expected that Jenn Sterger would become such a big part of my recovery. Jenn is a comedian and former sports commentator and in 2010, I ruined her life. Since then, Jenn and I have rebuilt our friendship (with the help of a dog) and I’m grateful to her for coming on the show. We talk about public shame, forgiveness and how hard it is to let go of what other people think. New episodes release every Wednesday.

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The Small Bow Podcast | New Season Trailer

February 25, 2026 • 4 mins

The Small Bow Podcast with A.J. Daulerio is re-launching on March 4, with new episodes dropping every Wednesday. The Small Bow is a show about expanding the definition of recovery, where A.J. talks to writers, entertainers, recovering addicts, recovering jerks, and even the occasional normal person about how they made it through hard things and got better because of it. Episodes explore addiction and sobriety beyond stereo...

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The Wind Blows High w/ Trey Anastasio

November 20, 2025 • 96 mins

In this very special episode, Phish's Trey Anastasio talks to us about how his 2006 drug arrest and the court-ordered treatment he received afterward became the catalyst for his second act as both a musician and a human, and also inspired him to open a revolutionary treatment center in Ludlow, Vermont called Divided Sky. Show Notes: The story of Divided Sky Live access to Beacon Jams on November 28...

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The Persistence of Time w/Sari Botton

October 10, 2025 • 72 mins

Oldster Magazine’s Sari Botton talks to us about what she’s learned from her readership, and some of the anxiety she feels about turning 60. Show Notes: Oldster! Sober Oldster! The Small Bow

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If It's Not Going Perfectly, Keep Trying w/Joe Schrank

September 26, 2025 • 57 mins

Social worker/Interventionist/advocate returns to The Small Bow to talk about Recovery Month, which happens every September, but is still being widely ignored. This is our annual attempt to develop a more effective marketing plan to increase interest in Recovery Month. Show Notes: Why Does No One Care About Recovery Month? Unknown Costs by Wilson Sims Champions of the World Th...

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Also Hit By a Truck w/Molly Johnsen

September 11, 2025 • 73 mins

After a car accident left her with catastrophic injuries, writer/teacher/poet Molly Johnsen had to physically and mentally recover. Through EMDR and poetry, she found a way out. Show Notes: Everything Alive by Molly Johnsen Hit By a Truck Essay How to Survive The Small Bow Newsletter!

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The Small Bow Podcast

Episodes

.css-14f5ked{margin:0;word-break:break-word;display:-webkit-box;-webkit-box-orient:vertical;box-orient:vertical;-webkit-line-clamp:2;overflow:hidden;}Ryan O'Connell on the Strange Sensation of Finally Being Seen

.css-r6mb8g{margin:0;word-break:break-word;display:-webkit-box;-webkit-box-orient:vertical;box-orient:vertical;-webkit-line-clamp:1;overflow:hidden;}Langhorne Slim Wanted to Flee. Then He Became a Father.

Dopey Dave on Ego, Success and Why "More" is the Hardest Drug to Quit

Mitchell Jackson on Crisis PR, Billionaire Clients and Cancel Culture

Blair Socci on Returning to Standup After the Loss of her Brother

Michael Strassner Made a Movie About the Night That Almost Killed Him

When you make a dog your “higher power,” what happens when they die?

Why Alex Winter Quit Hollywood for 10 Years

The Mushrooms Told Me to Stop Drinking

How to be addicted to people with Elizabeth Gilbert

Jerry O'Connell on the Fears and Feelings We Push Down

Petty Resentments and Righteous Anger: A Conversation with Cord Jefferson

Amanda de Cadenet on Facing "Dire" Loneliness and Loving Alcoholics

Joe Buck on How to Look Into the Camera When You're Deeply Insecure

Why Does Jenn Sterger Still Talk To Me?

The Small Bow Podcast | New Season Trailer

The Wind Blows High w/ Trey Anastasio

The Persistence of Time w/Sari Botton

If It's Not Going Perfectly, Keep Trying w/Joe Schrank

Also Hit By a Truck w/Molly Johnsen

Popular Podcasts

Ryan O'Connell on the Strange Sensation of Finally Being Seen

Langhorne Slim Wanted to Flee. Then He Became a Father.