The Happy Grownup

• Suzanne Lerner's Got it Togther

  You may not know this week’s guest, but after our podcast you’ll probably wish Susanne Lerner lived across the street. She’s a is smart, a savvy entrepreneur, and, even better, she is street smart – in Yiddish you would say she has “seichel." A savvy entrepreneur, who began her clothing company Michael Stars with her husband, and after her his passing has continued to run the 40 year old label on her own with clever ingenuity, energy and clarity that defy the date on her birth certificate. She is logical, she is pragmatic, fearless in a “why-don’t-I-just-do-that” kind of relatable way and has the gift that all New Agers should aspire to when venturing anywhere alone, she enjoys her own company.   But what I admire most about her is that she has used her success to create platforms that mentor and inspire youth and organizations which empower women, expand voting rights and even elevate men.  Maybe it’s the upcoming Jewish holidays that have me thinking this way, but she’s what I’d call a real “mensch”. She’s one of the good ones.  I can’t wait for you to meet her.    

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• The Will and Grace of David Kohan

  Have you ever met anybody who doesn't want to be cool? I mean, you might as well be searching for a Wooly Mammoth. No such person exists.But what makes somebody cool? Well, you can have incredible style like Zendaya, incredible looks like Chris Hemsworth, or incredible talent like Bruce Springsteen. But for me, the coolest people have always been anyone who can make me laugh. Growing up, I didn't want to be an athlete like Sandy Koufax or a brooding idol like Montgomery Clift. I wanted to be Dick Van Dyke because I thought everything he did was funny without being a clown. I don't think there is any greater gift than to have that power, which is probably why I'm so enamored of today's guest, David Kohan.When I was on the board of Live Out Loud, an organization devoted to helping LGBTQ youth, I asked a quartet of students who were being awarded college scholarships to name the one person who had made the greatest difference in our culture. Almost all of them cited either a politician with a vision, back when we still had some of those, gay rights advocates or heads of charities. However, one student stood there wincing and bewildered by the response of his fellow honorees. Noting his apparent dissension, I asked his opinion, at which point he perked up with that knowing grin that people have when they're confident that everyone else has missed the obvious. Will and Grace, he replied, with a hint of ‘duh’ in his tone. Will and Grace made all the difference, not just because they made me laugh, but because that laughter helped save lives. Those two guys who created that show, they should get medals. The other honorees nodded in agreement because they knew he was right. David Kohan, along with his writing partner, Max Mutchnick, created Will and Grace.David and Max didn't just save lives. They changed our culture by creating a quartet of friends who were equally funny, clever, socially aware, romantically damaged, ever hopeful, often petty, occasionally jealous, but always loving and always loyal. Straight or gay, that's exactly how you want your life to be. Because it proves that regardless of the challenges from inside as well as out, with the right attitude and the right friends, everyone can be happy. Is it any wonder I'm crazy about David Kohan?

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• Not Every Ad Guy is a "Mad" Man (with Steve Pacheco)

  What if sometime during the last season of Mad Men, Don Draper sorted out his life, gave up angst for more than just Lent, started to get off on his own cleverness and find satisfaction in the memorably creative commercials he created on the way to becoming an icon of the advertising industry. What if he actually became a Happy Grownup? What would he be like?He'd be like Steve Pacheco. Having embarked on his career path from the moment he watched his first 60 second spot on television, Pacheco’s long, varied and successful career, includes overseeing ads for two Fortune 500 companies and a dozen years of some of the most memorable Superbowl ads of all time.Now, as president of the American Advertising Federation, Pacheco is guiding this powerful industry in upheaval, faced ad blockers, declining attention spans and an AI revolution that could leave many creatives jobless, as well as figuring out how to reach multiple generations of customers and clients who have now splintered into niches, each with needs that are now more specific than ever. And yet, Steve Pacheco still loves the game, because he still retains the power to seduce, inspire, and acquire. Advertising is “about discovery,” says Pacheco. “A great ad that scores a direct hit as thrilling as ever” he says with a grin as wide as someone walking into a surprise birthday party. Don Draper never smiled this much in his entire life.

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• Love, the Second Time Around (with Teri Agins and Paul Hands)

  I met my husband online about 28 years ago on America Online, not AOL mind you, but America Online – when you didn't tell anyone about such searches because trolling the internet was a primary example of looking for love in all the wrong places. Well, guess what they were wrong, so wrong in fact that we should have been invested because of our foresight.There are now over 8,000 dating sites around the globe. You name the category. Farmers, sea captains, Christian singles, Jewish singles, Asian singles, geeks, gays, those who are vegan, gluten-free, furries, Trekkies, ridiculously wealthy, bearded, and believe it or not, haters. And with more than 30% of those over 50 being single, there are now countless sites for us New Agers.I have known Terry Agins since I started sitting in the front row at fashion shows more than 30 years ago. She's a feisty one. Boisterous, wicked smart, funny, opinionated with a singular energy I have always found fascinating. What also intrigued me about her is that unlike most women in fashion, she didn't travel in a pack. She wasn't part of a clique. In fact, she was often on her own. And then suddenly, about seven years ago, she wasn't. There was this tall, striking, white-haired dude, always by her side. Where the hell did Paul Hands come from? And how come he is still around? Well, that's because Terry and Paul are now married, very happily married, I might add. So for all of you new agers currently searching for companionship, and for those who are hopeful or hopeless romantics, we are going to find out why love is lovelier the second time around.

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• Mario Cantone

  For two decades now, Mario Cantone has become instantly recognizable as Anthony Marantino on Sex and the City, And Just Like That as Charlotte's boisterously loud, kind of in-your-face, very savvy, grounded gay confidant and guardian angel. But when he is on The View or Turner Movie Classics, Mario Cantone is, well, he's still loud, kind of in-your-face, yet savvy and fairly grounded.Oddly and surprisingly, Mario is probably most like himself as a cabaret performer, where he is a marvelous storyteller, an engaging singer, a brilliant impressionist, and frankly, an unapologetic romantic. I wish Netflix would record him at the Cafe Carlyle in New York or give him a special so that the rest of you can discover this softer and very winning charm of his. But in the meantime, Mario Cantone, thanks to Hot Fellas Bakery, is going to have to deal with the fact that he is a sex symbol at age 65. We should all have such problems like that at this age.

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