For ad-free episodes of Hard Knocks, subscribe at Amandanox.substack.com, where you'll also find access to essays, bonus episodes, and more.

Enjoy.

I'm Amanda Knox, and you're listening to Hard Knocks.

I'm Amanda Knox, and you're listening to Hard Knocks.

Hello, everyone. Today on Hard Knocks, I speak with the incredible Lauren Weidman, who is a comedian and actress, a playwright, an author.

She's appeared on The Daily Show, hung, two broke girls girls and looking. She's been in a variety of films. She's written and performed nine solo shows,

and she's authored two books, one called A Woman Trapped in a Woman's Body and the other,

misfortune, fresh perspectives on having it all from someone who is not okay. In this conversation, basically, I have a master class with this master solo performer about putting on, writing and producing and performing a solo show, something that I have been tinkering with for the past year and really want to put more effort into in 2026. So I hope you as an

audience can enjoy some little revelatory story tidbits from on my end and my ongoing creative plans.

And also, Lauren's just really wise and well-earned wisdom from being on the front lines of solo

performance as well as a lot of her just funny insights.

So enjoy.

Thank you so much for being here.

I'm so excited to talk to you about anything, but very selfishly, I just want to throw out

there that I'm hoping to have a

conversation with you like a master class and how to do live, you know, storytelling. Is that okay with you?

Yeah. Why? Is that something you're, well, I also said, is that something you're interested in? Obviously, you just asked if you could talk about it.

Goddur.

Yes.

Why?

Are you getting ready to do something like that?

Yeah, well, I have, or something.

...