Truth Tastes Funny with Hersh Rephun

Hosted by Hersh Rephun

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175

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Aug 2026

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About the show

Truth Tastes Funny is a weekly conversation with Hersh Rephun and a special guest about the strange, fascinating, and often invisible ways human beings create meaning. How we form opinions. How we misunderstand one another. How we flatten complexity into certainty. And how those interpretations quietly become the reality we live inside. In a post-truth world, people rarely respond to reality first. They respond to what they believe reality means. Once that interpretation takes hold, everything else starts organizing around it. Each episode explores how ideas spread, identities form, assumptions harden, and why two intelligent people can walk away from the same experience with completely different stories about what just happened. Expect topical conversations. Unexpected observations. A few uncomfortable realizations. Plenty of laughter. And the occasional moment when you catch yourself doing exactly the thing we're talking about. The podcast also offers a glimpse into "First Contact Live," Hersh's weekly forum where guests discover, in real time, how other people interpret their work on first contact. Because the goal isn't simply to communicate more clearly. It's to better understand how communication becomes reality in the first place.

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September 9, 202630 min

Joey Chandler: When Everyone Still Thinks You’re the Old You

You change. Unfortunately, nobody sends your friends and family the software update. On this episode of Truth Tastes Funny , Hersh Rephun sits down with Joey Chandler to explore the strange gap between who we're becoming and who everybody else still thinks we are. Joey approaches growth through personal values. Hersh comes at it through perception and interpretation. But they quickly find themselves in the same territory: relationships, divorce, parenthood, business, identity, and the sometimes awkward business of introducing the current version of yourself to people who remember all the previous ones. Joey shares what happened after divorce and burnout forced him to confront an exhausting realization: he could only be himself. The problem was figuring out who that actually was. That led him to three core values: connection, curiosity and fun. They've since become less of a personal-development exercise and more of a practical compass. Joey tells a terrific story about lying in an ER with his leg broken in three places when his 16-year-old son looked at him and asked, “Dad, which of your core values is missing right now?” Annoying? Absolutely. Also exactly the question he needed. Hersh and Joey get into the things we don't say in relationships, the little problems we step over until they've quietly become big ones, and whether becoming more ourselves sometimes requires grieving the choices we didn't make earlier. Then Joey introduces a deceptively simple experiment he's been trying: instead of waking up determined to be better , ask: How can I make today better than yesterday? Maybe it's dinner with your family. Calling a friend. Going outside. Having more fun. The point isn't relentless self-improvement. It's removing some of the pressure and getting curious about what would make today a little better. At its heart, this episode asks: What happens when you've changed, but the people around you haven't changed their idea of you yet? www.certaingrowth.com @joeychandler70 -- Hersh's new book, SELLING THE TRUTH: A ‘Semoir’ with Insights for Life & Business is a semi memoir drawing on his adventures as an Authority Advisor and Standup Comedian. It is part business book, part happiness formula for life, and an amuseful read, whether you’re building a business or burnishing your self-image. You can kickstart your own messaging evolution with a one-on-one 5-Minute Fix . Take the 60-second Get Off Your Assets Quiz, and find other resources here: https://www.hershrephun.com/selling-the-truth/

September 2, 20261 hr 4 min

Desislava Dimitrova: The Courage to Question Your Own Story

How much of what you believe about yourself did you actually choose? On this episode of Truth Tastes Funny , Hersh Rephun is joined by meditation teacher, spiritual life coach, and healer Desislava Dimitrova for a wide-ranging conversation about identity, intuition, fear, healing, self-trust, and the stories we repeat until they begin to feel like truth. Desi knows something about having those stories disrupted. Growing up in an environment where she was taught to be quiet and not question authority, she spent years disconnected from parts of herself she would eventually come to see as essential. Then, at 37, doctors discovered a rare tumor in her spinal cord. Surgery was unavoidable. Recovery meant learning how to walk again, living with the fear that the tumor could return, and spending years rebuilding herself physically and emotionally. Meditation became part of that recovery, but the deeper transformation involved finding her voice, establishing boundaries, understanding what love meant to her, and developing the confidence to build a life around work her own family didn't necessarily understand. Hersh and Desi explore the difference between instinct and intuition, why first impressions tell us as much about ourselves as the people we're judging, how fear can make an unhappy situation feel safer than change, and why knowing yourself may require challenging some of the beliefs you've carried the longest. They also find an unexpected intersection between Desi's spiritual work and Hersh's work around first contact: a label can be accurate and still be incomplete. "Meditation teacher" may describe something Desi does. It doesn't necessarily tell you what happens when someone works with her. And that raises a question that applies to all of us: how much do people actually understand when they think they've figured us out? At its heart, this episode asks: What becomes possible when you stop treating the story you've always told yourself as the only story available? www.desi-divine.com LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/desislava-dimitrova-30271293 Instagram : desisdivine -- Hersh's new book, SELLING THE TRUTH: A ‘Semoir’ with Insights for Life & Business is a semi memoir drawing on his adventures as an Authority Advisor and Standup Comedian. It is part business book, part happiness formula for life, and an amuseful read, whether you’re building a business or burnishing your self-image. You can kickstart your own messaging evolution with a one-on-one 5-Minute Fix . Take the 60-second Get Off Your Assets Quiz, and find other resources here: https://www.hershrephun.com/selling-the-truth/

August 26, 202647 min

Whose Mission Are You On? with Mark Reynolds

What if you don't need another hack, another book, or another person telling you what to do? What if you already know? On this episode of Truth Tastes Funny , Hersh Rephun is joined by decorated Army veteran, international speaker, high-performance coach, CPA, author, and one-time aspiring comic Mark Reynolds for a conversation about identity, agency, ambition, humor, and what actually has to change before change sticks. Mark works with high achievers who have done the homework. They've read the books. They know how calendars work. They understand the habits. And they're still not necessarily creating the lives they want. Which raises a much better question than "What should I do?" What do I actually want? Mark and Hersh explore what happens when people reach the middle of successful lives and realize they've spent years following a mission that may have been handed to them by a company, a profession, a family, or an earlier version of themselves. Knowing what you wanted at 25 doesn't answer what you want now. They get into Mark's unusual journey through the military, physics, psychology, corporate life, comedy and coaching, including the fourth-grade teacher who told him he could be smart or funny, but couldn't be both. Turns out she may have underestimated the usefulness of being both. Along the way, they talk about why some problems are really just "gravity," why purpose may be something we choose rather than discover, how identity can keep successful people trapped inside roles they've outgrown, and why the breakthroughs that change our lives are often the ones we couldn't possibly have planned. And eventually, they come back to comedy. Because humor doesn't merely make hard things easier to tolerate. Mark sees joy and laughter as part of the strategy for creating a bigger life. At its heart, this episode asks: If you already know what to do, maybe the question isn't what comes next. Maybe it's who you need to become to actually do it. LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/successauditor/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/mark.g.reynolds.3/ Handle: @successauditor Website: http://markreynolds.tv/ -- Hersh's new book, SELLING THE TRUTH: A ‘Semoir’ with Insights for Life & Business is a semi memoir drawing on his adventures as an Authority Advisor and Standup Comedian. It is part business book, part happiness formula for life, and an amuseful read, whether you’re building a business or burnishing your self-image. You can kickstart your own messaging evolution with a one-on-one 5-Minute Fix . Take the 60-second Get Off Your Assets Quiz, and find other resources here: https://www.hershrephun.com/selling-the-truth/

August 19, 202642 min

Sandra Lena Silverman: When the Bullshit Stops Working

Sandra Lena Silverman has tried just about everything in the pursuit of looking and feeling better. Botox. Fillers. Facelifts. Breast surgery. Liposuction. Threads. Peptides. Red light therapy. She’ll also tell you exactly which ones she regrets. On this episode of Truth Tastes Funny , Hersh Rephun sits down with the author of From Bullshit to Botox for a candid, funny, occasionally jaw-dropping conversation about beauty, aging, insecurity, marriage, infidelity, divorce, and what happens when external fixes stop solving internal problems. Sandra traces part of her beauty journey back to a comment from her then-boyfriend at 26 that made her question her body for the first time. That insecurity eventually led to years of procedures, treatments, and experimentation before she realized she had been chasing something the procedures themselves could never deliver. The conversation also goes much deeper into the relationship that shaped her upcoming second book, From Bullshit to Broken Hearts . Sandra talks openly about a 27-year relationship marked by repeated separations and infidelity, why she stayed as long as she did, the complicated choices involved when children are part of the equation, and what finally made her say, “No more.” Hersh and Sandra explore the line between self-improvement and self-rejection, why honesty can be liberating, what happens when humor becomes a survival tool, and why being able to laugh at something doesn’t mean you have to excuse it. Sandra also shares hard-earned lessons from her own cosmetic procedures, including what she would do differently, what she believes women should research before choosing a surgeon, and why consistency, strength training, nutrition, and internal work became increasingly important as she got older. And yes, there’s a Ring camera story involving a woman showing up at Sandra’s front door at 5:00 AM that may be impossible to top. At its heart, this episode asks: How much of ourselves do we spend trying to fix before realizing the bigger work may be learning what we no longer need to tolerate? Website www.sandralenasilverman.com Instagram @sandralenasilverman -- Hersh's new book, SELLING THE TRUTH: A ‘Semoir’ with Insights for Life & Business is a semi memoir drawing on his adventures as an Authority Advisor and Standup Comedian. It is part business book, part happiness formula for life, and an amuseful read, whether you’re building a business or burnishing your self-image. You can kickstart your own messaging evolution with a one-on-one 5-Minute Fix . Take the 60-second Get Off Your Assets Quiz, and find other resources here: https://www.hershrephun.com/selling-the-truth/

August 12, 202632 min

Miles Spencer: What If Goodbye Isn't the End of the Conversation?

What if you could talk to someone you love after they're gone? Not watch an old video. Not scroll through photographs. Not even a seance. Actually ask them a question and hear them answer. On this episode of Truth Tastes Funny , Hersh Rephun sits down with entrepreneur, author, and Reflekta AI founder Miles Spencer , whose new "soul tech" venture is using artificial intelligence to create interactive digital legacies from the voices, memories, stories, and values people leave behind. And Hersh has tried it. He talked to Miles' late father. That experience opens a fascinating conversation about memory, grief, technology, family, and what it means to preserve more than someone's image. Miles shares the deeply personal origin of Reflecta, including his father's words near the end of his life about the body being temporary while spirit and soul endure. Years later, technology finally gave Miles a way to interact with those words, stories, and memories in a form neither of them could have imagined. Hersh and Miles explore: What it feels like to have a spontaneous conversation with someone who is gone The difference between preserving memories and interacting with them Why a few seconds of recorded voice can preserve something remarkably powerful The emotional responsibility that comes with recreating someone we love Where digital legacy ends and unhealthy dependence might begin Why families lose enormous amounts of history with every generation How AI could preserve the wisdom of people long after their deaths The ethical line between digital legacy and deepfakes And whether future generations have a claim on the stories we're allowing to disappear Miles also shares the moment his digital version of his father unexpectedly called him "Tiger" , just as he had throughout Miles' life. Miles knew that memory had been entered into the system. He'd simply forgotten. His father hadn't. At its heart, this episode asks a very human question made possible by very new technology: If someone you loved could answer one more question, what would you ask? https://milesspencer.com/ https://docs.google.com/document/d/1bQIoqgAyhCbx9TYqPWOlMlYwIMpwZqD3q0O-zpZGi1Y/edit?tab=t.0#heading=h.lpmur2fiqvlw -- Hersh's new book, SELLING THE TRUTH: A ‘Semoir’ with Insights for Life & Business is a semi memoir drawing on his adventures as an Authority Advisor and Standup Comedian. It is part business book, part happiness formula for life, and an amuseful read, whether you’re building a business or burnishing your self-image. You can kickstart your own messaging evolution with a one-on-one 5-Minute Fix . Take the 60-second Get Off Your Assets Quiz, and find other resources here: https://www.hershrephun.com/selling-the-truth/

August 5, 202633 min

Dr. Mary Donohue: Your Brain Wasn't Built for This

We're more connected than ever. So why do so many of us feel exhausted? On this episode of Truth Tastes Funny , Hersh Rephun sits down with neuroscientist, author, and Digital Wellness Center founder Dr. Mary Donohue for a conversation about stress, technology, human behavior, and why the same devices draining our attention might also help us reclaim it. After studying the behavior of more than 34,000 people, Mary came to a surprising conclusion: Technology isn't the enemy. Our relationship with it is. Together, Hersh and Mary explore: Why our brains weren't designed for constant digital stimulation How stress quietly reshapes decision-making The surprising link between loneliness and technology Why community is still one of our greatest biological needs How humor interrupts stress and changes brain chemistry The power of three-minute "micro breaks" Why kindness may be one of the healthiest habits we can practice And how to use technology to build connection instead of dependency Along the way, Mary shares the research behind Digital Wellness Center, where AI-powered micro breaks are helping individuals and organizations reduce stress by changing behavior one small moment at a time. At its heart, this episode asks: What if the smartest thing your phone could do... is remind you to put it down? www.thedigitalwellnesscenter.com -- Hersh's new book, SELLING THE TRUTH: A ‘Semoir’ with Insights for Life & Business is a semi memoir drawing on his adventures as an Authority Advisor and Standup Comedian. It is part business book, part happiness formula for life, and an amuseful read, whether you’re building a business or burnishing your self-image. You can kickstart your own messaging evolution with a one-on-one 5-Minute Fix . Take the 60-second Get Off Your Assets Quiz, and find other resources here: https://www.hershrephun.com/selling-the-truth/

July 27, 202634 min

Stephany Poe: The Patterns You're Missing That are Running Your Life

Why do the same problems keep showing up... ...even when the people change? On this episode of Truth Tastes Funny , Hersh Rephun sits down with organizational alignment strategist Stephany Poe for a conversation that starts in the workplace and quickly becomes something much bigger. Stephany helps organizations identify breakdowns in communication, culture, and leadership. But beneath those challenges, she sees something else. Patterns. The habits, assumptions, and behaviors that quietly shape relationships long before anyone realizes what's happening. Together, Hersh and Stephany explore: Why organizations often fix symptoms instead of systems The hidden cost of taking every workplace problem personally How communication breaks down when process gives way to emotion What COVID revealed about work, identity, and expectations Why listening is one of leadership's most overlooked skills The difference between work relationships and personal relationships How accountability begins with self-awareness And why meaningful change always starts with a decision At its heart, this episode asks: What patterns have become so familiar that you no longer recognize them? Stephany Poe is an Organizational Alignment Strategist and founder of POEE Coaching and Consulting, and she helps leaders see what’s really happening inside their organizations. Not the surface-level stuff. The real intersection of culture, communication, and performance where things either click or quietly fall apart. With a sharp multigenerational lens, Stephany unpacks how differing expectations, lived experiences, and communication styles shape decision-making, leadership effectiveness, and daily operations. And when alignment slips, she calls it straight. You feel it in morale, turnover, productivity, and trust. Her work is about bringing clarity to what leaders know is off but can’t quite name. She challenges them to communicate with intention, examine whether their systems truly support their people, and make decisions that strengthen both performance and sustainability. Stephany partners with corporate, nonprofit, government, and founder-led organizations navigating growth, transition, and internal strain, bringing a rare balance of structure and humanity to the table. And with a Master’s in Legal Studies from ASU’s Sandra Day O’Connor College of Law, she brings a grounded understanding of policy, governance, and organizational risk into every conversation. Stephany Poe helps leaders get aligned for real. -- Hersh's new book, SELLING THE TRUTH: A ‘Semoir’ with Insights for Life & Business is a semi memoir drawing on his adventures as an Authority Advisor and Standup Comedian. It is part business book, part happiness formula for life, and an amuseful read, whether you’re building a business or burnishing your self-image. You can kickstart your own messaging evolution with a one-on-one 5-Minute Fix . Take the 60-second Get Off Your Assets Quiz, and find other resources here: https://www.hershrephun.com/selling-the-truth/

July 27, 202629 min

Jason Lyle: Why Knowing Isn't Enough

Most people already know what they should do. Exercise more. Drink less. Be more patient. Show up differently. So why is change so hard? On this episode of Truth Tastes Funny , Hersh Rephun sits down with men's coach and Sacred Grit founder Jason Lyle for a conversation about resilience, nervous system regulation, addiction, identity, and why information alone rarely changes behavior. A former pastor turned wilderness guide, Jason believes the gap between intention and action isn't a lack of willpower. It's a lack of connection between the body and the mind. Together, Hersh and Jason explore: Why insight doesn't automatically create transformation The relationship between trauma and everyday behavior What nervous system regulation actually means Why many men struggle to ask for help How resilience is trained instead of inherited The difference between knowing and practicing Why community matters more than isolation And what it means to rebuild a life one small decision at a time At its heart, this episode asks: What if the problem isn't that you don't know what to do... but that your body no longer believes it's possible? https://thesacredgrit.com https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61576917194889 -- Hersh's new book, SELLING THE TRUTH: A ‘Semoir’ with Insights for Life & Business is a semi memoir drawing on his adventures as an Authority Advisor and Standup Comedian. It is part business book, part happiness formula for life, and an amuseful read, whether you’re building a business or burnishing your self-image. You can kickstart your own messaging evolution with a one-on-one 5-Minute Fix . Take the 60-second Get Off Your Assets Quiz, and find other resources here: https://www.hershrephun.com/selling-the-truth/

July 22, 202622 min

Danielle Frank Uncorks the Wisdom Hiding Inside a Glass of Wine

On this episode of Truth Tastes Funny , Hersh Rephun sits down with author and wine industry executive Danielle Frank for a conversation about parenting, perspective, humor, and the unexpected places wisdom can be found. After careers in Hollywood publicity and the luxury wine business, Danielle never expected her first book to blend wine terminology with lessons about raising children. She also never expected to write a parenting book as someone who isn't a parent. Yet that's exactly what makes her perspective so refreshing. Together, Hersh and Danielle explore: Why good humor often carries serious truth The difference between saying yes and serving someone well What children can teach us about becoming better adults Why resilience begins with allowing people to fail How curiosity grows from observation The surprising parallels between wine and human development Why independence is one of life's greatest gifts And how writing became a way to transform disappointment into contribution Along the way, Danielle shares the deeply personal story behind A Wine Lover's Guide to Parenting and why she chose to celebrate parents rather than lament the life she thought she would have. At its heart, this conversation asks: What if the role you never expected to play turns out to be the one you're uniquely suited for? -- Hersh's new book, SELLING THE TRUTH: A ‘Semoir’ with Insights for Life & Business is a semi memoir drawing on his adventures as an Authority Advisor and Standup Comedian. It is part business book, part happiness formula for life, and an amuseful read, whether you’re building a business or burnishing your self-image. You can kickstart your own messaging evolution with a one-on-one 5-Minute Fix . Take the 60-second Get Off Your Assets Quiz, and find other resources here: https://www.hershrephun.com/selling-the-truth/

July 13, 202635 min

Dr. Karen Curry Parker: The Story You're Living May Not Be Yours

What if the biggest thing holding you back isn't your circumstances... It's the story you've been living without realizing it? On this episode of Truth Tastes Funny , Hersh Rephun sits down with author, educator, and Quantum Human Design creator Dr. Karen Parker for a conversation about identity, self-worth, human design, and why lasting transformation begins by changing more than your thoughts. Karen believes insight alone isn't enough. Real change happens when a new story is practiced until your mind, body, and nervous system begin to believe it. Together, Hersh and Karen explore: Why awareness is only the first step toward transformation The stories we inherit about money, success, and self-worth Why lasting change requires more than positive thinking How Human Design becomes a tool for rewriting identity The relationship between intuition and decision-making Why your body often knows before your mind does How authenticity dissolves comparison And why the world changes when we stop competing and start recognizing our own value Along the way, Karen shares how her work as a midwife led her to notice the powerful connection between the stories people tell themselves and the lives they ultimately create. At its heart, this episode asks: If you could rewrite the story you've been living... what would change first? https://freehumandesignchart.com/ https://www.instagram.com/drkarenparker22/ https://www.youtube.com/@drkarenparker https://www.facebook.com/DrKarenParker22 -- Hersh's new book, SELLING THE TRUTH: A ‘Semoir’ with Insights for Life & Business is a semi memoir drawing on his adventures as an Authority Advisor and Standup Comedian. It is part business book, part happiness formula for life, and an amuseful read, whether you’re building a business or burnishing your self-image. You can kickstart your own messaging evolution with a one-on-one 5-Minute Fix . Take the 60-second Get Off Your Assets Quiz, and find other resources here: https://www.hershrephun.com/selling-the-truth/