Michael R. Herst sits down with remarkable people and asks the question most interviews skip: What actually shaped you into who you are today? One More Thing Before You Go is a cinematic interview podcast built on unhurried conversations with global voices whose lived experiences illuminate culture, travel, food, and the shared human story. Each conversation strips away the polished narrative to reveal what’s underneath—the heritage, the struggles, and the moments that quietly changed…
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Some stories don’t just belong to a family. They belong to all of us. What would you do to survive if everything you knew had been taken from you? Martin Bodek's grandfather survived four armies, two world wars, starvation, poison, and a 1,600-mile journey home during World War II. He survived what should have been impossible—and then faced the harder question: How do you build a life after…
What if giving up alcohol didn't mean giving up adventure? Travel is supposed to expand our world. But what happens when the very places we travel to seem to revolve around drinking? A hotel minibar. An airport bar. A champagne toast. A business conference where networking happens over cocktails. A cruise where drinks seem to follow you everywhere. For travel writer Teresa Bergen, traveling…
What if a story buried in your family for more than a century suddenly asked you to tell it? Brigid Kennedy’s story begins with a real Irish treasure hunter, her great-grandfather Robert Patrick Kennedy, who crossed the Atlantic, married Eudocia Rodrigues in Arequipa, Peru, in 1910—and then disappeared into the Amazon. The story survived in fragments until one night, when Brigid’s grandmother…
What if the places that carry humanity's deepest wounds also have the power to heal something within us? In this episode of One More Thing Before You Go , Michael welcomes poet, author, photographer, and adventurer Briana Gervat for a deeply reflective conversation about history, solitude, resilience, and the unexpected ways travel transforms us. In 2022, Briana set out alone on an extraordinary…
What if the greatest lesson from Hollywood wasn’t about making blockbuster movies—but about living a more focused, creative, and meaningful life? In this episode of One More Thing Before You Go , Michael welcomes Steven Puri, former EVP at DreamWorks and VP at 20th Century Fox, whose career helped shape iconic films including Transformers , Star Trek , Die Hard , and Independence Day . Yet the…
What if the greatest challenges of your life were preparing you for your greatest purpose? Resilience isn’t something we’re born with—it is built through adversity, difficult choices, and the moments that quietly redefine who we become. In this cinematic conversation, Michael sits down with Jim Paulk to explore how life’s unexpected setbacks can become the foundation for purpose, personal growth,…
What happens when a man chooses to honor his late mother and grandmother by opening a restaurant run entirely by grandmothers? That question sparked one of our most beloved conversations — and inspired Nonna’s, the heartwarming new film starring Vince Vaughn, Susan Sarandon, Lorraine Bracco, Talia Shire, and Brenda Vaccaro. In this special Over the Teacup Sunday replay, Michael and Diane — joined…
What if the future isn't something we're trying to predict... but something we're trying to understand about ourselves? The stories we tell about tomorrow often reveal more about today than we realize. In this thoughtful conversation, Michael sits down with author and cultural thinker Amy Bernstein to explore why speculative fiction has become one of the most powerful ways to make sense of an…
In this episode, Diane and Michael take a deep dive into Elle, the new prequel series that reimagines Elle Woods’ early life. With their personal connection to Karen McCullah Lutz, the screenwriter behind the original Legally Blonde, they bring a fresh, intimate perspective to the conversation. They discuss: • The show’s premise • Cast, producers & creative team • The 1990s Seattle setting •…
Some lives force us to ask uncomfortable questions: Who decides who we become? What happens when the identities we’ve built our lives around suddenly disappear? And how do we begin again without pretending the past never happened? In this thoughtful, unhurried conversation, Michael sits down with Hakeem Bourne McFarlane, founder of the Choose Yourself movement, to explore identity, belonging,…
Welcome to Part Two of our special two‑part conversation with Leah Renee — the only ex‑Mormon housewife turned stand‑up comedian she’s ever met. In Part One , we explored the life she lived before everything changed: her Mormon upbringing, the early cracks in her identity, the pressure of motherhood, and the moment she realized the life she was living wasn’t truly hers. Now, in Part Two , we step…
What happens when the identity you were handed… no longer fits the person you’re becoming? In Part One of this special two‑part cinematic conversation, Michael sits down with Leah Renee — the only ex‑Mormon housewife turned stand‑up comedian she’s ever met. Before the comedy stages, before the sold‑out shows, before the reinvention… there was a life built inside a belief system she once thought…
