Hello? Hello. Can you hear us all right? Yeah, dudes. Yes. Yeah.

This is Death, Sex, and Money. The show from WNYC about the things we think about a lot

and I need to talk about more. I'm Anna Sait.

Today's show is all about fear. When to heed it, when fear is a good tool for self-preservation,

and also when you should push through it, when fear is holding you back from necessary change,

and how to tell the difference. Listeners, you have been sending in your dilemmas about fear.

I have my own difficulties with it, and we have convened a panel of three expert guests to listen to your questions about fear

and maybe offer some guidance. They've all had fear and bravery and form their work in some way,

whether conceptually or quite literally, let me introduce them to you now.

Our first guest is Steve O, who you know from MTV's Jackass, where he performed, of course, countless extreme,

often painful, sometimes disgusting stunts. He's also an author and a stand-up comedian.

He's also nearly 15 years sober. And from my years of enjoying Jackass, I can tell you he knows how to be the kind of friend who pushes you when you need it,

and he also knows how to rally around you when you're hurt. His latest book is a hard kick in the nuts.

What I've learned from a lifetime of terrible decisions, Steve O, welcome to Death, Sex, and Money.

Thank you. Sure. One thing that I learned about you that I didn't know from reading your latest book is what a devotee you are to your calendar app,

and how it helps you organize your days, and how you're one of those people that does color-coded things for all sorts of obligations.

There's the self-care you need to do, there's the work you need to do for your stand-up, there's the work you need to do for tapings.

And it made me wonder if you feel fear when you have unscheduled time, and how you deal with it.

Oh, absolutely. Yeah, definitely. That's, yeah, I'm gripped by fear. And I think that for what I've done for a living, it would surprise people how fearful I am,

because I think I have a reputation of being fearless, and it's just not the case. And should my calendar ever be completely empty, that's among my biggest fears.

And Laurel, Breitman, a writer, a teacher, an secular clinical, chaplain, and training is also here with us, and Laurel, you also have your PhD in the history and anthropology of science.

You are the author of the New York Times bestselling book, Animal Madness Inside Their Minds, and the new memoir, What Looks Like Bravery.

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