This is And The Next Thing You Know
It's a podcast about how our lives go exactly not as we planned them.
You know, the unexpected events, the twists in the plot (or the realization that there is no plot.) Like, when you tore off the flier tag for that apartment for rent, and ended up living there for fourteen years. Or how you can be a perfectly healthy 34 year old and wind up with a stage 4 cancer diagnosis. Or that time we all lived in lockdown for years while a deadly pandemic raged across the globe. (Yeah, that actually happened. Remember?)
The podcast is a series of lovingly rendered conversations about all this serendipity and trauma. The dead-ends, by appearance, that actually lead to secret passageways, opening up to the filtered light of new ideas, new projects, and new hope.
Common themes in many episodes of the show are creative actualization, career path pivots, relationship explosions, self-care, mental health and psychology, identity and self inquiry, spiritual practice, sex, drugs, and, yes, rock ‘n’ roll, how to live a more authentic life (whatever “authentic” means), LGBTQIA issues and queer culture, nerdery, being nerd-adjacent, and how late-stage capitalism will eat us all. Enjoy the light-heartedness!
And The Next Thing You Know is hosted by Suzie Sherman
Once, I took a screenwriting class, but then ended up in grad school to become a psychotherapist. I did not, ultimately, become either a screenwriter or a psychotherapist. Earning my MA in counseling psychology ended up being a very edifying, if expensive, hobby.
I’ve also been a grassroots organizer for the peace movement, scrubbed hot tubs, made sandwiches at a natural foods store, been a bookkeeper, a camp counselor, a Census enumerator. These days, in addition to podcasting, I’m a freelance content marketing writer.
This podcast is the result of many life paths starting, stopping, and still unwinding.
Have I heard of any of the guests you've talked to?
Most of the guests in conversation on And The Next Thing You Know are everyday folks like you and me. And even some of the more well-known guests are also, arguably, pretty ordinary, as people just tend to be their regular ol’ selves most of the time. But you may have heard of notable feminist theorist Julia Serano, celebrated sexpert Susie Bright, or geology podcaster Oliver Strimpel before. I’ve talked to them.
Stay in touch with #NextThingPod on social media
Join the conversation with other NextThingNerds on Facebook and Instagram. Shout out your favorite episode of the podcast with the hashtag #NextThingPod and let us know what you think. It means a great deal to me to hear how these conversations are landing for you.
I also noodle around with short form video at my YouTube channel. Give it a look-see!
And stay tuned for full podcast episodes on a new YouTube as well! I’m excited to get that project going for folks who like to listen on different platforms. Details coming soon!
Buy me a coffee
If you’d like to support the show and my other creative work, head over to buymeacoffee/nextthingpod to make a one-time contribution! Click the link, or scan the code.
My Patreon account is deactivated as of July, 2025. Check back here for updates on becoming a sustaining supporter in the somewhat-near future.
Thanks for all your support and encouragement!
The banana peel is by Max Ronnersjö. The theme and interstitial music are by Jon Schwartz.