Mentor Buffet

Documentary filmmaker Erin Lee Carr, the director of Mommy Dead and Dearest about Gypsy Rose Blanchard and Britney vs. Spears on Netflix, as well as 13 other documentary films, joins host Alexi Pappas to share about a number of film world icons who have been mentors to her: Janet Pierson, Andrew Rossi, and Sheila Nevins.

Erin, who was born two months prematurely to parents who struggled with drug addiction, also shares about her important relationship with her late father David Carr, the longtime New York Times writer and author of The Night of The Gun, a book Erin revisits every year. Many guests on Mentor Buffet corroborate that belief is the strongest form of mentorship, and more than anything else, David believed in his daughter.

Erin also shares practical advice about how to send a successful cold email, what it means to come correct to a meeting or a pitch, and some basics about financial literacy. 

You can watch Erin’s latest project, Murdaugh: Death in the Family, starring Patricia Arquette, on Hulu. 

You can follow Erin on Instagram here: https://www.instagram.com/erinleecarr/?hl=en

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Nayeema Raza is the host of the podcast “Smart Girl, Dumb Questions” and she joins Mentor Buffet host Alexi Pappas to share about the influence her upbringing has had on her values. Her father worked for the World Bank and their family moved around constantly. Nayeema learned how to communicate, even across language barriers. She shares how her upbringing has given her her openness, her flexibility, her curiosity, how she values experiences over achievement, how she rejects routine, and how boundaries don’t come naturally. Nayeema shares what it means to live with urgency, why it’s unproductive to take things personally, and why she’s allergic to certainty. She also shares what she’s learned getting fired, what she’s learned through breakups, and what she’s learned from guests on her show. 

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If recovery is something you know you should be taking more seriously, visit therabody.com and use the code MENTORBUFFET at checkout for 15% off one product of your choice.Listen to Nayeema’s podcast, Smart Girl, Dumb Questions: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLZ_OvJyBz8qlqFSrFoyt3ndvZ-xlS3QQM

Alexi answers listeners’ advice questions about how to deal with feeling like everybody around you is less ambitious than you, how to navigate a flirtatious friendship, and the best way to proceed into romantic situations with a complicated sexual health condition. 

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David Greene is a longtime journalist who for many years was the host of NPR’s Morning Edition. On this episode of Mentor Buffet, he joins host Alexi Pappas for a conversation about their moms, who both struggled with depression and passed away when they were young. How do you know what to do when you’re a kid? How does my relationship to my mother affect my current relationships? What is the nature of love? David, whose journalism has taken him to active warzones and has allowed him to spend time with world leaders, shares advice he got early in his career that he still holds onto. Alexi and David also talk about not fitting in. 

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Ready to upgrade your eyewear? Visit https://goodr.com/mentorbuffet to claim $10 off their first order.

Creative icon Marta Pozzan joins host Alexi Pappas to talk about femininity, what it means to be your true self, and why creation is her orientation toward the world. Marta and Alexi discuss their childhoods, and what it feels like for them to be alone. Marta shares a story about an influential early mentor of hers working at a magazine in Italy. Marta also shares her style icons and about the roles she gravitates toward as an actress. She explains why she sees the truth as a responsibility, why she’s not afraid of the work, and why she doesn’t stress about knowing exactly what comes next. 

Marta’s new movie Perfumania (Fior Di Latte), which she produced and starred in, is now screening all over the world: https://www.instagram.com/perfumaniamovie/

Add a comfy pair of Merrell's to your rotation with 25% off your first purchase using the code MENTORBUFFET2026 at https://merrell.com.

Ready to upgrade your eyewear? Visit https://goodr.com/mentorbuffet to claim $10 off their first order.

Visit GoBrewing.com/alexi50 for 50% first beer club subscription order with code ALEXI50.

If recovery is something you know you should be taking more seriously, visit therabody.com and use the code MENTORBUFFET at checkout for 15% off one product of your choice.