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Hey, it's Rachel. Just a heads up. This episode contains some expertly deployed swearing. Do you have a belief system

that helps you make sense of the world? Yes, that everything happens for a reason.

That gets me through so much that that gets me through those stupid mistakes and bad decisions.

Hey, I'm Rachel Martin, and this is Wild Card, the game where cards control the conversation.

Each week, my guest chooses questions at random.

Three cards in my hand.

You pick a card.

One through three.

Three. Three. Questions about the memories You pick a card. One through three. Three.

Questions about the memories, insights, and beliefs that have shaped their lives.

This week, comedian, writer, producer, and actor, Issa Ray, is playing the game.

Oh, my God.

If that hadn't happened, I wouldn't have had the happiness that I have today.

So I came away from a conversation with Issa Ray, and it was clear to me that she is genuinely happy and secure in who she is at this stage of the game, which is notable, considering her breakout hit was a show on HBO called Insecure.

The show was based a lot on her own experiences as a young single black

woman making her way through life in L.A. And Issa Ray does have a lot to feel good about right now.

She was in three Oscar-nominated films in 2023, including American Fiction and Barbie, where she

was cast as president of Barbie World. But Issa's amazing career is about way more

than just acting. She's basically a one-woman media empire, promoting and investing in people

of color, and she's doing it not just in the movies, but also in music and business. Issa Ray clearly

...