Conversations with Lou Paoletti

Today we’d like to introduce you to Lou Paoletti.

Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
I think everyone has a complicated story, and there’s really no way to give them proper context, so I’ll keep this brief. I went to business school, graduated, and worked in finance for a long time. After some unfortunate life events, I got tired of wondering what would happen if I gave up on security and comfort and prioritized passion, so I moved to LA, and here I am. I made my first short film, which won some awards. I have a rapidly growing podcast with my best friend. Things are better than I could have hoped for. 

We all face challenges, but looking back, would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
Nothing is ever a smooth road, I don’t think. Money is always a struggle and challenge in LA; nothing is cheap, and nothing is lucrative when you’re in the arts. Burnout is real. Defeat is real. Feeling like a failure is real. 

Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
My biggest project currently is my podcast “Secondhand Therapy,” which I host with my buddy Michael Malone. We unpack and discuss our weekly therapy sessions together. We just started recording this past July, and we already have over 75k followers on Instagram, which is constantly growing. It’s been unreal. 

I am incredibly proud of what we’ve created. Having a podcast about therapy when you’re not a therapist or expert of any kind requires a lot of vulnerability. And we don’t pretend to be experts. We don’t pretend to have all the answers. So many men who talk about wellness and mental health present themselves as some sort of guru, and it’s so fake; we are very honest that we’re just two guys trying to figure it out. 

Pricing:

• We just launched Patreon, which is as low as $5/month

Contact Info:

• Website: http://secondhandtherapypod.com
• Instagram: http://instagram.com/secondhandtherapypod
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@secondhandtherapypod
• Other: http://patreon.com/secondhandtherapypod

Image Credits
Nogen Beck