Xanyland: Comedians on the Couch

Your adult friendships might have quietly gone crusty — and your mental health depends on fixing that. In this episode, I sit down with comedian Leslie Liao, whose hypnotic voice lulls you in until her wit snaps you out of it. She gets honest about being crusty, as we all are sometimes, and we talk about what makes adult friendships quietly dry up and what it actually takes to bring them back to life. We get into why the catch-up feels more like a quarterly review than a hangout, why voice memos feel so much more real than texts, and why I’m genuinely tempted to get a rotary phone just to bring back the mystery of picking up a call you actually want to take. We normalize boring hangs, couch days, and parallel play. We talk about needing different friends for different parts of yourself — and how diversifying your intimacy can protect your romantic relationship tooPlus mmm — Summertime Prozac.Keywords:adult friendships, friendship advice, mental health, Leslie Lau comedian, Alicia Racine Fink, Xanyland podcast, parallel play, friendship strategies, diversifying intimacy, voice memos, rotary phone, nostalgia, summertime, Prozac

Find out why Alicia doesn't think Drew needs therapy!In this heartwarming episode of Xanyland, Alicia Racine Fink sits down with the incredibly relatable comedian Drew Dunn, and talks about mental health, comedy, trauma, and holding joy and grief at the same time. From winning local comedy competitions to opening for big names like Dane Cook, Drew shares his journey into comedy and the importance of staying true to the craft of making people laugh. They dive into how Drew's comedy is shaped by his belief in nuance and seeing the world in shades of gray, a perspective enriched by his experiences and interactions with everyday people. The conversation also touches on the power of a solid support system, as Drew reflects on the role his family and his wife’s family have played in his journey, and how the loss of his mother-in-law deeply impacted them all.As new parents, Drew and Alicia explore how having a baby changes everything, from the way you approach life to how you manage a career in comedy. The episode is a beautiful blend of humor and vulnerability, offering insights into the balancing act of pursuing your passion while navigating life’s complexities. Drew’s everyman charm and down-to-earth wisdom make this episode a must-listen!Topics: grief, parenting, comedy and mental health, fatherhood and loss, stand-up, coping through comedy and trauma.

Andrew Orolfo came into comedy for the love of jokes, not algorithms—but social media quickly became part of the job. In this episode, Alicia and Andrew explore the mental health cost of maintaining an online presence, from burnout and trolls to cancel culture and teen mistakes. They cover comedy, social media stress, and the tools Andrew uses to protect his sanity—including therapy, emotional growth, and keeping perspective on what matters.This episode is for anyone overwhelmed by online life, curious about the comedy world, or looking for ways to survive social media without losing themselves.

In this episode of Xanyland, comic Tommy Brennan brings the laughs and the feels as he opens up about therapy, bombing, and building a name in comedy without losing his mind—or his stylistic integrity. From the raw chaos of bombing a set to the existential dread of “How do I look on stage?”—Tommy and Alicia go deep on what it means to find your voice when you're one of eight siblings and the only one doing stand-up. They unpack why choir is basically crack for young boys, why a “dream job” at LinkedIn can be a creative death sentence, and why therapy only works if you actually do it right. Alicia confesses to falling in love with her therapist’s husband (without knowing it), and Tommy gives a loud and proud thank-you to his therapist, Cheryl—who maybe shouldn’t come to his shows. Whether you’re a comic, a creative, or just curious about how therapy and self-presentation collide, this episode is for you. Listen now on Spotify, YouTube, or wherever you get your T.

Comedian, actor, and all-around brilliant mind Baron Vaughn joins us to talk about something deeply personal—his journey of self-discovery after his son’s autism diagnosis. In this episode, Baron generously shares what it’s like to question your own neurodivergence as an adult, the compassion he’s learning along the way, and what “being a person” even means when you start seeing yourself through a whole new lens. The best part? He’s mid-journey—thoughtful, educated, and honest, but still figuring it out. And fun fact: Baron and Alicia were both at the Boston University College of Fine Arts Acting Program. If you don’t know him as an epic stand-up, you might recognize him from Grace and Frankie. This episode could help a lot of people accept themselves in a new way. Share it, comment, and let’s keep the conversation going.

For the very first episode of Xanyland, I’m joined by comedian, actress, and singer Jordana Lilly—who I met doing improv at Groundlings (so you already know this will be fun). We’re diving into the surprisingly tricky world of finding a therapist: where to look, how to figure out what you actually need, and how to get the most out of it once you're there. We’ve packed in some buzzy, useful terms, kept it educational, and did our best not to turn this into a therapy session—though there is a surprise diagnosis at the end. If you’re a visual learner, catch the full video on YouTube. Please follow, rate, review, and share—because mental health info should be easier to access. Follow @xanylandpodcast and @iamjordanalilly on Instagram! If you want to read more about this episode, check out this link!