onefjef

Jesse Cale is a musician, poet, and the founder of hOm Sound Baths, whose work explores sound as a doorway into presence, healing, and altered states of awareness. In this conversation, we talk about his upbringing in evangelical Christianity, leaving the church, mental health, music as ritual, the rise of sound baths, money and meaning, community, and what happens when you build something from the deepest parts of yourself.

Follow Jesse on Instagram @JesseCale, and learn more about hOm and find a sound bath near you at https://www.homsoundmeditation.com or on Instagram @homsoundbaths.

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A short bonus episode to ease my guilt about not releasing something every week, share my plans for 2026, and reflect on the universal admiration people have for my puffer coat.

Please show some support for the podcast and get access to some extra content by subscribing to the Patreon page: http://www.patreon.com/onefjef

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Email: onefjefpod@gmail.com

You can also call the podcast...

A random Christmas episode about flawed Santa myths, childhood memories, unhinged holiday parties, and the pressure to find joy in a season that carries so much weight.

And me singing!

It's like Christmas morning, but in the form of a podcast episode.

Please show some support for the podcast and get access to some extra content by subscribing to the Patreon page: http://www.patreon.com/onefjef

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This episode is a cult-classic Christmas radio show I recorded while in film school in 2006. It’s performed in character and marks the first appearance of Feffrey, then called Nigel. Weird, unhinged, and very much a departure from my usual episodes. Listener discretion advised.

Please show some support for the podcast and get access to some extra content by subscribing to the Patreon page: http://www.patreon.com/onefjef

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This week’s episode is a conversation I recorded with Chris Ryan for his podcast, Tangentially Speaking. He let me share the full audio here. We sat outside his place in Crestone, Colorado and talked about desire, death, politics, art, Korea, hitchhiking, cancel culture, the weirdness of the moment we’re living in, and why connection feels so hard and so necessary

Subscribe to Tangentally Speaking here: https://chrisryan.substack.com/podcast and buy his book Sex at Dawn at fine bookstores everywhere.

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I turned 52 in Mexico City and recorded the whole strange week: biking through Condesa, wandering the Tianguis de Comonfort, drinking giant micheladas, eating the world’s least subtle tongue taco, and chasing the legendary camote man’s whistle across Parque México. Patricia joins me, of course, and tries to make me a braver eater. Airports, mariachi chaos, numerology, and one very pink gringo — it’s all in here.

Please show some support for the podcast and get access to some extra content by subscribing to the Patreon page: http://www.patreon.com/onefjef

Instagram: @onefjefpo...

A short Thanksgiving episode about gratitude, perspective, and pausing to pay attention.

Thank you to everyone who participated in this episode – I'm sorry I couldn't use everything.

Please show some support for the podcast and get access to some extra content by subscribing to the Patreon page: http://www.patreon.com/onefjef

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In this milestone episode, Chris Casey guest-hosts and interviews me about my life — my childhood in Ohio, discovering theatre, living in London & Korea, going to film school at SCAD, making Coverage and After You Left, getting into Sundance, editing in NYC, working for The Lincoln Project and then creating onefjef. A deep look at my creative path and how this podcast began.

Here are links to the films & videos we discussed in the episode:

"Suite" – https://onefjef.com/portfolio/suite

"COVERAGE" – https://onefjef.com/portfolio/coverage

"After You Left" (Sundance) – https://onefjef...

I sit down with with my 14-year-old cousin Mia — a high-school freshman, wrestler, and alto sax player — to talk about what it’s like to grow up in 2025. We talk social media, family, school, friendship and Phantom of the Opera, and why adults don’t always get what it’s like to be a teen today.

Please show some support for the podcast and get access to some extra content by subscribing to the Patreon page: http://www.patreon.com/onefjef

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In which I ramble about Icelandic grocery stores, job search fatigue, generational swearing, Hurricane Sandy, social media burnout, and the origin of my crayon costume collection.

Please show some support for the podcast and get access to some extra content by subscribing to the Patreon page: http://www.patreon.com/onefjef

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Email: onefjefpod@gmail.com

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I talk to Gary Clarke, who is currently in Huaraz, Peru—cold mountains, thin air, and 7,500 kilometers left before he reaches Tierra del Fuego. We talk about bad Spanish classes, hot air balloons, oil rig sunrises, why most people don’t chase the life they want, and why the best way to see the world is on the seat of a bicycle.

You can follow Gary's travels on Instagram @gary_clarke

Please show some support for the podcast and get access to some extra content by subscribing to the Patreon page: http://www.patreon.com/onef...

I sit down (virtually) with my old friend — actor, musician, writer, and unapologetic decaf drinker — Nicholas Webber. Nicholas and I have made a lot of things together over the years, and this time the thing we made is a conversation about fatherhood, faith, AI, and why technology might be the new religion. We get into logic and mystery, and the strange comfort of the small rituals that hold a life together.

Follow Nicholas on Instagram @wuckald

Listen to NICKCASEY's newest album – Life in My Head – on Spotify or Apple Music, watch the the video we made for...

In which I ramble about overwhelming media, disappointing plants, mind-bending mushrooms, Trader Joe's, and which hand Vishnu would hold a microphone with.

Please show some support for the podcast and get access to some extra content by subscribing to the Patreon page: http://www.patreon.com/onefjef

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Email: onefjefpod@gmail.com

You can also call the podcast and leave a voicemail at 1-669-241-5882...

A solo episode from a quick trip to Colorado: Garden of the Gods, a hot tub under the stars, a guy at a bar who says he was kidnapped by the cartel, and an unsuccessful hunt for Crestone’s outdoor funeral pyre. Mostly me sorting through middle age, altitude, and a string of strange detours.

Please show some support for the podcast and get access to some extra content by subscribing to the Patreon page: http://www.patreon.com/onefjef

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In this semi-milestone episode, I enter the onefjef multiverse and sit down with… Jef Taylor. We talk about the odd intimacy of sharing an identity, the pretension & justification behind dropping the superfluous f, and what happens when you realize another version of you is out there working at a zoo, documenting Hot Wheels jousting, and looking for little pockets of joy wherever he can find them.

Follow Jef (the other Jef) on Instagram @urbpan, on YouTube at youtube.com/@Swamp_Hobbit, and if you're in the Boston area you can join one of his nature walks at fa...

This week I talk with writer and former Capitol Hill staffer — and my old co-worker — Evelyn Quartz about the strange afterlife of political work: how two people who once believed in “hope and change” ended up disillusioned with the system they helped run. We trade stories about burnout, ideology, and how a job that’s supposed to “change the world” can quietly drain your sense of meaning. Evelyn traces her path from congressional communications director to Substack essayist, and we get into money in politics, media grift, the post-2024 hangover, Tucker Carlson’s odd influence, and what it means to live an hones...

This week I sit down with my first teenage guest, Millie Matyjasik. We talk about driving lessons, ballet, cold plunges in the Pacific, social media brainrot, situationships, and what teenagers wish adults would understand.

Please show some support for the podcast and get access to some extra content by subscribing to the Patreon page: http://www.patreon.com/onefjef

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You can...

In this bonus episode of onefjef, I welcome back my dear friend Chris Casey—the very first listener to email the show, thereby winning the infamous email contest. Chris shares a heartfelt “acceptance speech,” a story about proving his mother wrong, and a perspective on seizing one's destiny (with AirPods and a $6 coffee in hand). We play his original voice memo, talk about prizes, party-crashing in Columbus, film festivals, self-driving cars, and why social media makes everything worse.

Also: a new contest is announced—just email a photo to onefjefpod@gmail.com and you, too, might win a prize...

In my first post-road trip interview, I talk to Anastasia Katsina, who grew up in post-Soviet Lithuania, immigrated to Columbus, Ohio as a teen, and eventually found her path as a yoga teacher and somatic therapist. We talk about resilience, Lithuania's spiritual traditions, living in Switzerland and Norway, and how the pandemic unexpectedly brought her back to Columbus. And also how it's hard to see the label when you're sitting inside your own jar.

Learn more about Anastasia's practice and sign up for one of her classes at: www.sijasomatics.com and follow her on Instagram @anastasija...

In the seventh and final episode of my road trip, or at least this road trip, I visit the Great Sand Dunes National Park in the rain, experience the weirdness of Branson, get pulled over in Santa Fe, and get the hell out of Dodge City.

Please show some support for the podcast and get access to some extra content by subscribing to the Patreon page: http://www.patreon.com/onefjef

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In this, the penultimate episode of my road trip saga, I experience the horrors of California's Central Valley, the solitary magic of Joshua Tree, and the disturbing thing called Las Vegas.

Here's a link to my film COVERAGE, which I mention in the episode: https://vimeo.com/13490966

Please show some support for the podcast and get access to some extra content by subscribing to the Patreon page: http://www.patreon.com/onefjef

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I took a break from my road trip last week so I’m releasing an interview with my friend, filmmaker Alex Mallis, whose feature film The Travel Companion premiered at Tribeca earlier this year. We talk about the highs and lows of getting a first feature into a major festival, politics in New York, the joy of creating something for its own sake, and (yes) selling fart sounds as NFTs during COVID lockdown.

Learn more about The Travel Companion and sign up for the newsletter at thetravelcompanionfilm.com

Learn more about Alex and watch some of...

In the fifth part of my road trip I fly to Bogotá, Colombia where I chew coca leaves, discuss Ohio tourism with a Mexican woman, wander around an underground salt cathedral, and spend 8-10 hours in traffic.

Here's the website for the salt cathedral: https://www.catedraldesal.gov.co/en/

Please show some support for the podcast and get access to some extra content by subscribing to the Patreon page: http://www.patreon.com/onefjef

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TikTok: @onefjefpodcast Duration: 01:16:21

In the fourth (and ironically static) episode of my road trip across the USA and beyond, I watch the fog roll into Muir Woods, contemplate the nature of friendship and forgetting, describe the San Jose experience, and dip my feet into the Pacific Ocean.

Please show some support for the podcast and get access to some extra content by subscribing to the Patreon page: http://www.patreon.com/onefjef

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In this, the third episode of my road trip across the USA and beyond, I head into The Sierra Nevada and off the grid where I record from a kayak, talk to some young humans, and sink into the feeling of being separated from society just before having to return to it.

Check out Adela's Substack "silly-string and other musings" here: https://tamyrin.substack.com

And check out Savvy and Adela's music here: https://soundcloud.com/correct-technically

Please show some support for the podcast and get access to some extra content by subscribing...

This is a very short bonus episode to announce the onefjef Patreon page. If you're interested in supporting the podcast in ways that don't involve your ears or your ratings and reviews, you can now make a monthly donation in exchange for some additional content and perks.

Please show some support for the podcast and get access to some extra content by subscribing to the Patreon page: http://www.patreon.com/onefjef

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I continue the road trip from the wide-open emptiness of Wyoming to the neon chaos of Reno, Nevada. Along the way I visit Devil’s Tower, meet a cowboy named Sam, and discover just how disorienting a hotel parking garage can be at midnight. It’s me, my neurosis, long stretches of highway, and a confused stumble through a casino city that feels like a bad idea made permanent.

Please show some support for the podcast and get access to some extra content by subscribing to the Patreon page: http://www.patreon.com/onefjef

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I kick off a cross-country road trip from Ohio to South Dakota, stopping at the Gateway Arch, passing enormous roadside crosses, and wondering what the hell American Christianity is doing with Jesus. Somewhere between the interstate and a tiny motel, the bottom literally falls off my car, and I tell the long, messy story of how my film ended up at Sundance. It’s rambling, roadside audio about travel, faith, breakdowns (mechanical and otherwise), and how a guy from Ohio wound up with a movie in Park City.

Here's a link to my thesis film, COVERAGE: https://vi...

I talk with my friend Danny Eakins — a former Army Major who led more than 300 combat missions in Iraq and now works with Veterans Services helping soldiers and their families. We get into what combat actually does to a person, how PTSD shows up years later, the strange afterlife of military service, dating as a veteran, personal growth, and even Napster. It’s a grounded conversation about war, recovery, identity, and what it takes to rebuild a life once the adrenaline is gone.

I''ll be on a car/train/airplane trip for the next month and a half...

In the first bonus episode of onefjef, I talk about where I’m headed next, what’s been pulling at my mind lately, and a few stories from the past that still shape the present. I also announce the winner of the email contest.

Please show some support for the podcast and get access to some extra content by subscribing to the Patreon page: http://www.patreon.com/onefjef

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I talk with Matt Farley — the wildly prolific musician behind Motern Media, known for recording thousands of songs on Spotify (including the infamous poop tracks). We get into how he built a creative life out of volume, discipline, and weirdness; the reality of DIY filmmaking; why niche art survives in a homogenized America; and what happens when you commit to your own strange corner of the world long enough for it to work. It’s a conversation about making things, finishing things, and not waiting for permission.

You can learn more about Matt and experience more of his...

I sit down with yoga teacher and energy worker Andi Wesley to talk about sobriety, family patterns, emotional maturity, and the weird space between being introverted and extroverted. We get into micro-dosing, boundaries, healing work, and what it takes to actually change your relationship with yourself. It’s a conversation about clarity, self-awareness, and the long, unglamorous work of growing up.

You can (and should) follow Andi on Instagram at @andiwesley.

You can (and also should) book an energy work session with her Earth Spirit Energy Work at andiwesley.as.me and follow them in In...

This episode is a story I performed at the Bowery Poetry Club in New York City in 2014 about my first 24 hours in Mexico — a chaotic trip, a lot of bad decisions, and the moment travel stopped feeling theoretical and became real. While I’m away in Ireland, Bing Bong steps in as guest host.

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I sit down with Chen Chen — an engineering professor at The Ohio State University — to talk about the future of artificial intelligence, the strange world of esoteric math, and how our brains actually perceive time. We get into the joy of understanding things deeply, why some problems feel impossible until they suddenly click, and what AI might change about how humans think. It’s a conversation about curiosity, complexity, and the pleasure of learning for its own sake.

Please show some support for the podcast and get access to some extra content by subscribing to the Patreon page...

This is a detritus episode, meaning it's not an interview. It's a recording of a story I told at the Bowery Poetry Club in New York City back in 2014, and I hope you'll enjoy it. Special thanks to Bing Bong for taking over the hosting duties while I'm away in Ireland.

New episodes every Tuesday—plus other stuff, as inspiration dictates.

Please like, subscribe, rate, and review. I don’t care—but also, I do.

Email: onefjefpod@gmail.com

Instagram: @onefjef

Thank...

I sit down with artist, musician, butcher, and writer Jason Wachtelhausen to talk about kosher meat, the strange power of mindful bathing, and what it takes to quit heroin and rebuild a life. We get into Todos Santos, daily rituals, addiction, and the ways small acts of care can pull you back toward yourself. It’s a conversation about recovery, craft, and the quiet discipline it takes to stay alive in your own body.

Follow Jason on Instagram at @dogmuseum_

Please show some support for the podcast and get access to some extra content by su...

Emmy-winning producer, yoga teacher, and longtime friend Chris Casey joins me to break down meditation, the nature of reality, David Lynch’s creative philosophy, and why some people weaponize hugging as a personality. We get into emotional repression, daily practice, and the strange ways people avoid their inner life.

Here's a link to the web-series we made together, Adults: http://bit.ly/4kzhWyD

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A sample of things to come. An excuse to talk to people. A place to put my detritus. Still figuring out the rest.

This episode features appearances from: Chris Casey, Chen Chen, Danny Eakins, Jack Hopkins, Emily Littlefield, Jason Wachtelhausen, and Andi Wesley. Full interviews forthcoming.

Please show some support for the podcast and get access to some extra content by subscribing to the Patreon page: http://www.patreon.com/onefjef

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