Ira’s Everything Bagel | US Arts and Culture Podcasts

What if the biggest career mistake isn’t staying too long in a bad job—but staying too long under a toxic boss?

This week on “Ira’s Everything Bagel,” Ira sits down with Dr. Laura Hambley Lovett, organizational psychologist and author of "I Wish I’d Quit Sooner: Practical Strategies for Navigating and Escaping a Toxic Boss."

Drawing from her own painful experience in a toxic workplace, years of academic research, and hundreds of real-world stories, Dr. Laura breaks down what actually makes a boss toxic—and why the damage often escalates over time.

She explains the critical difference between a difficult boss and a truly toxic one, why toxic bosses are not real lead-ers, and how overt and covert behaviors quietly erode confidence, health, and identity.
I
n this episode, you’ll hear why so many people say “I wish I’d quit sooner,” the eight toxic boss personas (including the dishonest manipulator), and how childhood trauma of-ten shows up in leadership in destructive ways. Dr. Laura also offers clear-eyed options—the pros and cons of staying, confronting, taking medical leave, or exiting—and why fear keeps so many people stuck.

Most importantly, this conversation is practical, not academic. Dr. Laura shares actionable strategies: how to document toxic behavior safely, why exit interviews matter more than you think, how to build a network before you need it, and how to prepare an exit plan that protects both your career and your well-being.
Because work isn’t just what we do—it’s who we are. And staying too long in a toxic environment comes at a cost.
(Also Watch Full Podcast Video)

Noshing With Dr. Craig Yorke – January 22, 2026

From a struggling Boston neighborhood to the operating rooms of Middle America, Dr. Craig Yorke has lived a life that’s as inspiring as it is revealing.

This week on “Ira’s Everything Bagel,” Ira sits down with the author of "Steep: A Black Neurosurgeon’s Journey," for a deeply personal and thought-provoking conversation about ambition, identity, and the hidden emotional cost of success.

Craig opens up about what first compelled him to write his book — a moment of “reme-dy” while browsing a bookstore shelf — and how his story reaches far beyond race. He reflects on growing up in the lower rungs of the Black middle class, shaped by parents wounded by racism in 1920s and ’30s Boston, and raised with the belief that rebellion was never an option.

We hear about “the fork in the road” that took him to Topeka, Kansas, a choice rooted as much in ethics as in opportunity, and how success in the world’s eyes came with armor he carried for decades. After writing this book, Craig says, “the armor is finally off.”
This isn’t simply a story about breaking barriers. It’s a moving exploration of resilience, healing, legacy, and what it truly means to chase — and redefine — the American Dream.
(Also Watch Full Podcast Video)

Noshing With Mark Malkoff – January 15, 2026

Johnny Carson wasn’t just the King of Late Night — he was one of the greatest talent-spotters, risk-takers, and quiet humanitarians in entertainment history. And no one has explored that truth more deeply than Mark Malkoff.

This week on “Ira’s Everything Bagel,” Ira sits down with Mark Malkoff, author (along with David Ritz) of "Love Johnny Carson: One Obsessive Fan’s Journey to Find the Genius Behind the Legend," to uncover the real Carson behind the curtain. What started as a podcast grew into a full-scale investigation as more and more stories poured in — from Jay Leno to Joan Rivers to people who knew Carson far from the spotlight.

Mark shares how he fell in love with Carson as a kid, watched him leave the airwaves as a teenager, and spent years digging into every corner of Carson’s life — from his mysterious New York years to his life after the historic show run. Along the way, Mark reveals why Carson was anything but cold and aloof, how he helped launch Jimmy Buffett’s career, why he kept bringing Don Rickles back even when it was risky, and how he always made his guests look brilliant.

This isn’t just a biography — it’s a celebration of a man who believed in talent, generosity, and taking chances. With stories that have never been told this way before, this episode is a must-listen for anyone who ever stayed up late to watch Johnny Carson make magic.
(Also Watch Full Podcast Video)

Noshing With Dr. David Weill – January 8, 2026

What does it mean to belong—to a family, a faith, a history?

In this episode of “Ira’s Everything Bagel,” Ira sits down with Dr. David Weill, author of Tell Me I Belong: A Journey Across Faiths and Generations, for a personal conversation about identity, spirituality, and the moments that force us to ask life’s hardest questions.

The son of a Jewish father who escaped Nazi Germany and a Southern Baptist mother, David grew up in New Orleans where religion was rarely discussed. Instead, medicine became his calling.

But it was inside the hospital—amid life, death, and uncertainty—where his spirituality first ignited.

After Hurricane Katrina, David began reading the Bible cover to cover… for three years. His journey took him through Catholicism, then back to Judaism—after discovering that his mother had converted before marrying his father. That revelation sent him searching through generations of family history, ultimately leading him to Germany, where his connection to Judaism and his ancestors took on new meaning.

David also opens up about the politics and pressures of hospital life that led him to step away from his role as a transplant surgeon, and how his family supported him as he searched for a spiritual home.

This is a conversation about faith found later in life, identity reclaimed, and the courage it takes to ask: Where do I truly belong?
(Also Watch Full Podcast Video)