Try Hard
by Alex Sujong Laughlin
Is this your podcast?On the show
From 10 epsHost
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Recent episodes
She worked until her brain made her stop
Oct 5, 2026
35m 20s
He left corporate for a socialist pirate ship
Sep 21, 2026
38m 16s
When your side project becomes your identity
Sep 7, 2026
38m 17s
The novel that took Alexander Chee 11 years to finish
Aug 24, 2026
36m 16s
Morgan Jerkins on surviving New York without losing yourself
Aug 10, 2026
39m 45s
Insights from recent episode analysis
Audience Interest
Podcast Focus
Publishing Consistency
Platform Reach
Insights are generated by CastFox AI using publicly available data, episode content, and proprietary models.
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Total monthly reach
Blended from 1 signal.
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By chart position
- 🇨🇦Canada · Self-Improvement#199110 to 683
- 🇮🇪Ireland · Self-Improvement#13336 to 224
- 🇮🇸Iceland · Self-Improvement#1118 to 52
- Per-Episode Audience
Est. listeners per new episode within ~30 days
154 to 959🎙 ~2x weekly·19 episodes·Last published 2w ago - Monthly Reach
Unique listeners across all episodes (30 days)
307 to 1.9K🇺🇸71%🇨🇦20%🇮🇪7%+1 more - Active Followers
Loyal subscribers who consistently listen
123 to 767
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* Data sourced directly from platform APIs and aggregated hourly across all major podcast directories.
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| Date | Episode | Topics | Guests | Brands | Places | Keywords | Sponsor | Length | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10/5/26 | She worked until her brain made her stop | Alex Sujong Laughlin interviews Yu & Me Books founder Lucy Yu about how she started the first woman-owned Asian American bookstore in New York in her twenties — and how the process nearly broke her. Episode transcript here: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1fMT3qKPRGrhTetCCmMvLLulFc1Zm0RDuZWHhQPXtKe4/edit?tab=t.0#heading=h.6mxzxdb60zz7🏷️: Yu & Me Books, Lucy Yu, Yu & Me, Bookstore, entrepreneurship, burnout, grief, community, self-worth, asking for help, mental health, work-life balance, pursuing your dreams, career change, Asian American community, resilience, personal growth, self-care, overcoming adversity, creativity, believing in yourself***Follow Alex Sujong Laughlin on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/alexlaughs/Email Alex: alex[at]defector.comSubscribe to Defector Media: https://defector.com/Check out Try Hard in audio form: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/try-hard/id1824016771***Credits:This show is produced by Haleema Shah and Alex Sujong Laughlin. Mixing by Samantha Gattsek. Justin Ellis is Defector’s projects editor. Our show art is by Lille Allen. Our theme song is “Photo Booth,” by Avery Friedman. Jasper Wang is Defector’s business guy. Thank you to the Defector staff and to Sean Kuhn. Our merch store was created by Dan McQuade. Defector Media is a collectively owned, subscriber based media company. Try Hard is a proud member of Radiotopia. | 35m 20s | ||||||
| 9/21/26 | He left corporate for a socialist pirate ship | Alex Sujong Laughlin interviews Defector's very own Jasper Wang about the choice he made to step off the achievement treadmill in his early 30s — and how that led to the creation of Defector Media. Episode transcript here: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1vPfZCoO_NFuYmE1zT0gZK7uridKEC8KJVoSxOaap4ws/edit?usp=sharing🏷️: Career success, achievement treadmill, money and happiness, leaving Bain, consulting career, corporate ladder, Defector, worker-owned media, socialist media, entrepreneurship, career change, financial freedom, defining success, how much money is enough, work-life balance, making less money, alternative careers, business for good, sports media, Jasper Wang***Follow Alex Sujong Laughlin on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/alexlaughs/Email Alex: alex[at]defector.comSubscribe to Defector Media: https://defector.com/Check out Try Hard in audio form: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/try-hard/id1824016771***Credits:This show is produced by Haleema Shah and Alex Sujong Laughlin. Mixing by Samantha Gattsek. Justin Ellis is Defector’s projects editor. Our show art is by Lille Allen. Our theme song is “Photo Booth,” by Avery Friedman. Jasper Wang is Defector’s business guy. Thank you to the Defector staff and to Sean Kuhn. Our merch store was created by Dan McQuade. Defector Media is a collectively owned, subscriber based media company. Try Hard is a proud member of Radiotopia. | 38m 16s | ||||||
| 9/7/26 | creative identitymusic career+4 | Hrishikesh Hirway | Song ExploderWest Wing Weekly+2 | — | Hrishikesh Hirwaysongwriting+5 | — | 38m 17s | ||
| 8/24/26 | writing processcreative confidence+3 | Alexander Chee | Iowa Writers WorkshopDefector Media+1 | — | Alexander CheeThe Queen of the Night+6 | — | 36m 16s | ||
| 8/10/26 | writing careersmoving to New York+3 | Morgan Jerkins | Defector MediaTry Hard podcast+2 | — | Morgan JerkinsNew York+3 | — | 39m 45s | ||
| 7/27/26 | queer ravesgender transition+4 | Jazmine Green | Defector MediaPhoto Booth | — | queernesstransition+4 | — | 37m 49s | ||
| 7/13/26 | motherhoodambition+3 | Anna Sale | Death Sex & MoneyDefector Media | — | motherhoodambition+4 | — | 36m 25s | ||
| 6/29/26 | making friendsadult friendships+3 | Aaron Edwards | Defector Media | Upstate ColorKingston | making friendsadult friendships+5 | — | 39m 24s | ||
| 6/15/26 | YouTubeinfluencing+4 | Ingrid Nilsen | The New SavantDefector Media | — | Ingrid NilsenYouTube+6 | — | 40m 43s | ||
| 6/1/26 | creative burnoutnavigating transition+3 | — | Defector MediaTry Hard | — | Try Hardcreative burnout+5 | — | 8m 46s | ||
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| 2/9/26 | publishingliterature+3 | Madeline PorsellaMabel Capability Taylor | Mandylion PressDefector+3 | — | Mandylion Presswomen writers+3 | — | 37m 56s | ||
| 12/1/25 | failureself-improvement+3 | Ronald Young Jr. | RadiotopiaDefector+1 | — | failureTry Hard+5 | — | 36m 00s | ||
| 11/17/25 |  Zakiya Gibbons Goes On A Date | Zakiya Gibbons is rusty with dating women, so she goes to a queer speed dating event to shake the cobwebs off. Episode transcript here: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1THYaMJZoV3e_45wsLsScbYxphcywyMIhltrJN0b4Ygc/edit?usp=sharingYou can contribute to Radiotopia's fall fundraiser with a tax-deductible donation here! Send me voice memos about the things YOU'RE trying at [email protected], or you can message me or tag me on Instagram @alexlaughs. https://www.instagram.com/alexlaughs/ Try Hard is hosted and produced by Alex Sujong Laughlin. Editorial and production support from Audrey Mardavich, Tom Ley, and Jae Towle Vieira. Justin Ellis is Defector's projects editor. Mixing by Samantha Gattsek. Our show art is by Lille Allen and our theme song is "Photo Booth" by Avery Friedman.Try Hard is a proud member of Radiotopia. | 32m 28s | ||||||
| 11/3/25 |  Josh Gondelman Plays Basketball | Josh Gondelman used to love playing basketball, but he can't seem to bring himself to play in his friend's long-running pickup game. Check out Josh's standup special, Positive Reinforcement: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RAvNlgpdKKo Episode transcript here: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1KPusncOHye0q-x9GVxODOTuG-NMoLMjMUEVWlfg2f4I/edit?usp=sharing Send me voice memos about the things YOU'RE trying at [email protected], or you can message me or tag me on Instagram @alexlaughs. https://www.instagram.com/alexlaughs/ Try Hard is hosted and produced by Alex Sujong Laughlin. Editorial and production support from Audrey Mardavich, Tom Ley, and Jae Towle Vieira. Justin Ellis is Defector's projects editor. Mixing by Samantha Gattsek. Our show art is by Lille Allen and our theme song is "Photo Booth" by Avery Friedman.Try Hard is a proud member of Radiotopia. | 37m 42s | ||||||
| 10/20/25 |  Rax King Plays the Banjo | Rax King learns a song on the banjo to play at a jam.Check out Rax's new book, Sloppy: https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/751421/sloppy-by-rax-king/ Episode transcript here: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1ajUijzXj3ynxpHQIvh-cQBwWdrztnZCiUzJBoQNeTQo/edit?usp=sharing Send me voice memos about the things YOU'RE trying at [email protected], or you can message me or tag me on Instagram @alexlaughs. https://www.instagram.com/alexlaughs/ Try Hard is hosted and produced by Alex Sujong Laughlin. Editorial and production support from Audrey Mardavich, Tom Ley, and Jae Towle Vieira. Justin Ellis is Defector's projects editor. Mixing by Samantha Gattsek. Our show art is by Lille Allen and our theme song is "Photo Booth" by Avery Friedman.Try Hard is a proud member of Radiotopia. | 41m 05s | ||||||
| 10/6/25 |  Sabrina Imbler Goes Hunting | Sabrina Imbler is afraid of bugs, but they are working on a book about bugs. What to do?! In this episode, they attempt to catch and pin dragonflies. Episode transcript here: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1Zyi-6wY81SosLtcs1y0vZXufOcFwobddFQMCeO7NHzc/edit?usp=sharingSend me voice memos about the things YOU'RE trying at [email protected], or you can message me or tag me on Instagram @alexlaughs. https://www.instagram.com/alexlaughs/ Try Hard is hosted and produced by Alex Sujong Laughlin. Editorial and production support from Audrey Mardavich, Tom Ley, and Jae Towle Vieira. Justin Ellis is Defector's projects editor. Mixing by Samantha Gattsek. Our show art is by Lille Allen and our theme song is "Photo Booth" by Avery Friedman.Try Hard is a proud member of Radiotopia. | 39m 19s | ||||||
| 9/22/25 |  Ceara Jane O'Sullivan Tries to Cartwheel | Ceara Jane O'Sullivan takes a gymnastics class in an attempt to finally master the ultimate cool girl trick: the cartwheel. Check out Ceara's podcast, Petty Crimes, here: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/petty-crimes/id1612693094Episode transcript here: https://docs.google.com/document/d/10zWovNgFBG7w9b41zkZ5Fs95LX6uhj6y5UHykd0URIU/edit?usp=sharing Send me voice memos about the things YOU'RE trying at [email protected], or you can message me or tag me on Instagram @alexlaughs. https://www.instagram.com/alexlaughs/ Try Hard is hosted and produced by Alex Sujong Laughlin. Editorial and production support from Audrey Mardavich, Tom Ley, and Jae Towle Vieira. Justin Ellis is Defector's projects editor. Mixing by Samantha Gattsek. Our show art is by Lille Allen and our theme song is "Photo Booth" by Avery Friedman.Try Hard is a proud member of Radiotopia. | 31m 08s | ||||||
| 9/8/25 |  Diana Moskovitz Rides a Bike | Diana Moskovitz never learned to ride a bike when she was a child. Can she make her K-drama Han River bike riding dream come true? Episode transcript here: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1CR1x7BM2vyw_t44kvnvXehKfZLjkTLbYgwQCid3vgEQ/edit?usp=sharing Send me voice memos about the things YOU'RE trying at [email protected], or you can message me or tag me on Instagram @alexlaughs. https://www.instagram.com/alexlaughs/ Try Hard is hosted and produced by Alex Sujong Laughlin. Editorial and production support from Audrey Mardavich, Tom Ley, and Jae Towle Vieira. Justin Ellis is Defector's projects editor. Mixing by Samantha Gattsek. Our show art is by Lille Allen and our theme song is "Photo Booth" by Avery Friedman.Try Hard is a proud member of Radiotopia. | 26m 54s | ||||||
| 8/25/25 |  Yowei Shaw Hosts a Party | What happens when a wallflower tries to stand in the spotlight? Check out Yowei's podcast, Proxy.Episode transcript here: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1q866ZRKA_MsysRPo1QQlBBESRfIksmQeZNFmbS_DUOg/edit?usp=sharingSend me voice memos about the things YOU'RE trying at [email protected], or you can message me or tag me on Instagram @alexlaughs. Try Hard is hosted and produced by Alex Sujong Laughlin. Editorial and production support from Audrey Mardavich, Tom Ley, and Jae Towle Vieira. Justin Ellis is Defector's projects editor. Mixing by Samantha Gattsek. Our show art is by Lille Allen and our theme song is "Photo Booth" by Avery Friedman. Try Hard is a proud member of Radiotopia. | 33m 10s | ||||||
| 8/11/25 |  Erika Casupanan Sings in Public | Erika spent her life being the person she thought she "should" be. It turns out that doing her own thing doesn't rock the world the way she thinks it will. It's actually pretty cool. Check out Erika's podcast, Happy to See Me. Episode transcript here. Send me voice memos about the things YOU'RE trying at [email protected], or you can message me or tag me on Instagram @alexlaughs.Try Hard is hosted and produced by Alex Sujong Laughlin. Editorial and production support from Audrey Mardavich, Tom Ley, and Jae Towle Vieira. Justin Ellis is Defector's projects editor. Mixing by Samantha Gattsek. Our show art is by Lille Allen and our theme song is "Photo Booth" by Avery Friedman.Try Hard is a proud member of Radiotopia. | 36m 37s | ||||||
| 7/28/25 |  Mattie Lubchansky Takes a Yoga Class | Cartoonist Mattie Lubchansky hates exercising in front of people, so in this first episode of Try Hard, she's trying out a real life yoga class full of real life strangers! By the way, you should buy Mattie's new book, Simplicity! Episode transcript here. Send me voice memos about the things YOU'RE trying at [email protected], or you can message me or tag me on Instagram @alexlaughs. Try Hard is hosted and produced by Alex Sujong Laughlin. Editorial and production support from Audrey Mardavich, Tom Ley, and Jae Towle Vieira. Justin Ellis is Defector's projects editor. Mixing by Samantha Gattsek. Our show art is by Lille Allen and our theme song is "Photo Booth" by Avery Friedman. Try Hard is a proud member of Radiotopia. | 31m 35s | ||||||
| 7/14/25 | Welcome to Try Hard | If there’s no shame in trying, why is it so hard? On Try Hard, Alex Sujong Laughlin helps people try the thing they've always wanted to do—from cartwheels to karaoke. First episode publishes July 28! Thank you to Charley Locke, Lilli Grace Barden, Yuli, and Juliana de Groot for lending your voices. | 1m 07s | ||||||
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Chart history for Try Hard
Peaked at #111 in IS, currently #111 in IS.
| Market | Genre | Peak | Current | Trend |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| IS | — | #111 | #111 | — |
| Ireland | — | #133 | #133 | — |
| Canada | — | #199 | #199 | — |
Chart Positions
3 placements across 3 markets.
Chart Positions
3 placements across 3 markets.