This week, we’re talking: JVN on the West Coast, responding vs. reacting, self diagnosing from TikTok, the cocaine salmon, gifting etiquette, a very French spelling bee, and of course - our HBOTW! 

Wanna see JVN on stage? Get tix to the Hot & Healed Comedy Tour here. 

Catch Getting Better & The Monday Edit, now on YouTube! 

Check out the JVN Patreon for exclusive content, bonus episodes, and more! www.patreon.com/jvn 

Follow us on Instagram @gettingbetterwithjvn Jonathan on Instagram @jvn and senior producer Chris @amomentlikechris 

Executive Producer, Chris McClure

Producer, Editor & Engineer is Nathanael McClure

Production support from Chad Hall

Our theme music is also composed by Nathanael McClure.
Curious about bringing your brand to life on the show? Email [email protected].

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Happy Earth Day!

This week on Getting Better, Jonathan sits down with plant biologist, author, and educator Dr. Beronda Montgomery for a grounding conversation about nature’s healing power and America’s Black botanical legacy. Together, they explore why reconnecting with green spaces can be so transformative for our mental, emotional, and physical well-being, and how practices like urban gardening and container planting can help us build a more meaningful relationship with the natural world—no sprawling backyard required.

Jonathan and Dr. Montgomery also dig into the deeper wisdom held in landscapes, plants, and history itself—examining interdependence, the ways trees and land can testify to the past, and the often-overlooked contributions of African Americans in botany and agriculture, alongside the foundational knowledge of Indigenous communities. They touch on the significance of willow trees, the meaning of Sankofa, and what it means to look back in order to carry wisdom forward in a powerful episode about healing, remembrance, purpose, and the responsibility of growing a better future together. Dr. Montgomery’s new book When Trees Testify: Science, Wisdom, History, and America’s Black Botanical History (Henry Holt, 2026) is out now. 

BIO: Dr. Beronda L. Montgomery is a writer, science communicator, and researcher. She has spent more than 20 years in higher education, most recently as vice president for academic affairs (2022–2024) and professor of biology (2022–present) at Grinnell College. Montgomery studies how plants and photosynthetic bacteria perceive, respond to, and are impacted by environments in which they exist.

She is the author of Lessons from Plants (Harvard University Press, 2021) as well as her newest book When Trees Testify: Science, Wisdom, History, and America’s Black Botanical History (Henry Holt, 2026). Trees stand at the intersection of plant knowledge, Black agricultural history, and collective memories of trauma and triumph intertwined. In When Trees Testify, Montgomery explores the roles that seven tree species—pecan, willow, oak, poplar, mulberry, sycamore, and apple—along with the cotton shrub have played in the lives of Black Americans from their enslavement in the United States to the present. She also explores the science of these plants as well as the sometimes-fraught relationship that African Americans have with agriculture and plants.

Full Getting Better Video Episodes now available on YouTube. 

Follow Dr. Beronda Montgomery on Instagram @beronda_m

Follow us on Instagram @gettingbetterwithjvn 

Follow Jonathan on Instagram @jvn

Executive Producer, Chris McClure

Producer, Editor & Engineer is Nathanael McClure

Production support from Chad Hall

Our theme music is also composed by Nathanael McClure.

Check out the JVN Patreon for exclusive BTS content, extra interviews, and much much more - check it out here: www.patreon.com/jvn 
Curious about bringing your brand to life on the show? Email [email protected].

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Today we’re talking: JetSet Pilates, JVN & Michelle Kwan Take Paris, Ulta Beauty World, Tina Knowles sightings, being triggered by Britney Spears mics, seeing folks from the Pretty Curious era, New York sized bees, what we’re getting better at this week, JVN’s continued worked on perfectionism, speaking on vocal fry, Alex v. Alix, 4/20 Spelling Bee letting go of friendships, HBOTW’s - French Pharmacy & CNP Laboratory, and Rachel Zegler’s Olivier Award Win. 

Wanna see JVN on stage? Get tix to the Hot & Healed Comedy Tour here. 

Catch Getting Better & The Monday Edit, now on YouTube! 

Check out the JVN Patreon for exclusive content, bonus episodes, and more! www.patreon.com/jvn 

Follow us on Instagram @gettingbetterwithjvn Jonathan on Instagram @jvn and senior producer Chris @amomentlikechris 

Executive Producer, Chris McClure

Producer, Editor & Engineer is Nathanael McClure

Production support from Chad Hall

Our theme music is also composed by Nathanael McClure.

Curious about bringing your brand to life on the show? Email [email protected].

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Disagreements are everywhere right now - and let’s be honest, they can get messy fast. But what if arguing didn’t have to wreck your relationships… or your nervous system?

This week on Getting Better, JVN sits down with Dr. Julia Minson, a Harvard decision scientist and leading expert on disagreements, to unpack why we clash, how we can do it better, and the small shifts that make a huge difference. From dinner table debates to full-on conflict spirals, we’re getting into the psychology behind why being “right” isn’t always the win you think it is.

Together, they explore the gold standard for healthy disagreement, where conflict actually comes from, and the real-life tools you can start using today to stay grounded, curious, and connected - even when you deeply disagree.

How to Disagree Better by Julia Minson out now!

Full Getting Better Video Episodes now available on YouTube. 

Follow Dr. Julia Minson on Instagram @juliaminson 

Follow us on Instagram @gettingbetterwithjvn 

Follow Jonathan on Instagram @jvn

Executive Producer, Chris McClure

Producer, Editor & Engineer is Nathanael McClure

Production support from Chad Hall

Our theme music is also composed by Nathanael McClure.

Check out the JVN Patreon for exclusive BTS content, extra interviews, and much much more - check it out here: www.patreon.com/jvn 

Curious about bringing your brand to life on the show? Email [email protected].

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

This week: we’ve compiled our favorite Monday Edit Spelling Bee’s for your listening pleasure! Regularly scheduled TME’s will be back next Monday - but don’t forget to tune in this Wednesday, April 15th for a brand new episode of Getting Better with Harvard decision scientist Julia Minson talking all about how to disagree better. Divaaaa, do we need that now more than ever or what? 

Wanna see JVN on stage? Get tix to the Hot & Healed Comedy Tour here. 

Catch Getting Better & The Monday Edit, now on YouTube! 

Check out the JVN Patreon for exclusive content, bonus episodes, and more! www.patreon.com/jvn 

Follow us on Instagram @gettingbetterwithjvn Jonathan on Instagram @jvn and senior producer Chris @amomentlikechris 

Executive Producer, Chris McClure

Producer, Editor & Engineer is Nathanael McClure

Production support from Chad Hall

Our theme music is also composed by Nathanael McClure.

Curious about bringing your brand to life on the show? Email [email protected].

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Conversion therapy is back in the headlines—and it may be closer to home than you think.

Today, we’re unpacking the reality of conversion therapy: what it teaches, how it operates, and the lasting impact it can have on identity, spirituality, and healing. In light of the Supreme Court’s recent ruling in Chiles v. Salazar, this conversation feels more urgent than ever. To help us do this, we have Timothy Schraeder Rodriguez, author of the upcoming book Conversion Therapy Dropout (May 5). 

Through Tim’s personal story, we explore the pull of religious spaces, the promise of belonging, and the painful unraveling that can follow.

Note: This episode was recorded prior to the March 31 Supreme Court ruling.

Full Getting Better Video Episodes now available on YouTube. 

Follow Tim Schraeder Rodriguez on Instagram @timothy.s.rodriguez

Follow us on Instagram @gettingbetterwithjvn Jonathan on Instagram @jvn

Executive Producer, Chris McClure

Producer, Editor & Engineer is Nathanael McClure

Production support from Chad Hall

Our theme music is also composed by Nathanael McClure.

Check out the JVN Patreon for exclusive BTS content, extra interviews, and much much more - check it out here: www.patreon.com/jvn 
Curious about bringing your brand to life on the show? Email [email protected].

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

This week: we’re talking about: What WE’RE Getting Better At, having a BIG GAY Spelling Bee, and the Supreme Ruling on Conversion Therapy. 

Related Articles: 

Lipstick Lesbian Controvery

LeAnn Rimes Jaw Tension

Conversion Therapy Dropout

Get tix to the Hot & Healed Comedy Tour here. 

The Monday Edit, now on YouTube! 

Check out the JVN Patreon for exclusive content, bonus episodes, and more! www.patreon.com/jvn 

Follow us on Instagram @gettingbetterwithjvn Jonathan on Instagram @jvn and senior producer Chris @amomentlikechris 

Executive Producer, Chris McClure

Producer, Editor & Engineer is Nathanael McClure

Production support from Chad Hall

Our theme music is also composed by Nathanael McClure.

Curious about bringing your brand to life on the show? Email [email protected].

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

GLP-1... 4-LIFE?

JVN is joined by Dr. Liz Kazarian for a candid conversation on GLP-1 medications, the future of obesity care, and JVN’s personal journey with the medication. They cover: Food tracking—helpful or harmful? How does family medicine shape patient care? Do you take GLP-1s forever? Plus - what it takes to sustain long-term health on this “miracle” medication. 

Dr. Liz Kazarian is a board-certified family medicine physician specializing in obesity medicine, with a clinical focus on women’s health, preventive care, and chronic disease management. She earned her medical degree from Virginia Commonwealth University School of Medicine and completed her residency in Family Medicine at the University of Virginia. As part of PMA Health, Dr. Kazarian provides comprehensive, patient-centered care, with an emphasis on long-term wellness and individualized treatment plans. Her approach integrates lifestyle, behavioral, and medical strategies to support sustainable health outcomes, particularly in the treatment of obesity and related conditions. She sees patients in the Northern Virginia area and is committed to helping individuals build practical, lasting approaches to better health.

Disclaimer:This episode is for informational purposes only and is not a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the guidance of your physician or another qualified health provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition or treatment, including GLP-1 medications. Never disregard professional medical advice or delay seeking it because of something you’ve heard on this podcast.

Full Getting Better Video Episodes now available on YouTube. 

Follow Dr. Kazarian on Instagram @drkazarian 

Follow us on Instagram @gettingbetterwithjvn Jonathan on Instagram @jvn

Executive Producer, Chris McClure

Producer, Editor & Engineer is Nathanael McClure

Production support from Chad Hall

Our theme music is also composed by Nathanael McClure.

Check out the JVN Patreon for exclusive BTS content, extra interviews, and much much more - check it out here: www.patreon.com/jvn 
Curious about bringing your brand to life on the show? Email [email protected].

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

This week: we’re talking about CATS: The Jellicle Ball, weddings, maiden name lore, striving for excellence (not perfection), GLP-1 Spelling Bee, Alexia Moore’s arrest, sleep for memory, the North Atlantic current, and Broadway bootlegs. 

Get tix to the Hot & Healed Comedy Tour here. 

The Monday Edit, now on YouTube! 

Check out the JVN Patreon for exclusive content, bonus episodes, and more! www.patreon.com/jvn 

Follow us on Instagram @gettingbetterwithjvn Jonathan on Instagram @jvn and senior producer Chris @amomentlikechris 

Executive Producer, Chris McClure

Producer, Editor & Engineer is Nathanael McClure

Production support from Chad Hall

Our theme music is also composed by Nathanael McClure.

Curious about bringing your brand to life on the show? Email [email protected].

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Show them you can THRIVE. 

Hey Better Babes! It’s my birthday week, and I’m sitting down with my of my BEST friends in the whole wide world - Dylan Mulvaney! Dylan opens up about thriving under pressure, Broadway’s SIX, and navigating fame, criticism, and identity in the public eye.

In this episode, she shares powerful insights on self-love, mindfulness, and what it really takes to stay grounded while living online and in the spotlight. From paparazzi and privacy to personal growth, ayahuasca, and friendship—you better believe we’re gonna talk about it. 

Full Getting Better Video Episodes now available on YouTube. 

Follow Dylan Mulvaney on Instagram @dylanmulvaney 

Follow us on Instagram @gettingbetterwithjvn Jonathan on Instagram @jvn

Executive Producer, Chris McClure

Producer, Editor & Engineer is Nathanael McClure

Production support from Chad Hall

Our theme music is also composed by Nathanael McClure.

Check out the JVN Patreon for exclusive BTS content, extra interviews, and much much more - check it out here: www.patreon.com/jvn 

Curious about bringing your brand to life on the show? Email [email protected].

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

This week, we’re talking: JVN’s birthday, Inner Child Work, weekend milestones, hack-a-rella sickness, what WE’RE getting better at this week, Afroman on TikTok, Broadway-Themed Spelling Bee, covering up hickeys, Alexandra Paul & Animal Rights Activists, and Dunkin Donuts Banana Iced Coffees. 

Get tix to the Hot & Healed Comedy Tour here. 

The Monday Edit, now on YouTube! 

Check out the JVN Patreon for exclusive content, bonus episodes, and more! www.patreon.com/jvn 

Follow us on Instagram @gettingbetterwithjvn Jonathan on Instagram @jvn and senior producer Chris @amomentlikechris 

Executive Producer, Chris McClure

Producer, Editor & Engineer is Nathanael McClure

Production support from Chad Hall

Our theme music is also composed by Nathanael McClure.

Curious about bringing your brand to life on the show? Email [email protected].

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices