Make sure to mention the code PODCAST when making your next reservation and enjoy 15% off on new bookings for 7-night stays in 2026.

Applicable towards new reservations only. Not combinable with other offers. On space-available basis. Some restrictions and blackout dates apply. Booking must be made by December 27, 2026.

What if the most memorable stories begin with the people Hollywood usually overlooks?

Television writer, producer, director, and author Josh Berman joins Barry at Rancho La Puerta to share how a law-school graduate found his way into some of television’s most recognizable writers’ rooms. Josh reflects on his early days at NBC, writing six episodes during the first season of CSI, running writers’ rooms for Bones and The Blacklist, and creating the beloved series Drop Dead Diva.

Throughout his career, Josh has used storytelling to explore science, truth, justice, body image, and the experiences of outsiders. He explains how his grandmother, a four-foot-eleven Holocaust survivor who carried herself like a supermodel, inspired the heart of Drop Dead Diva and its groundbreaking plus-size lead.

Josh also introduces his first novel, Dead Matters, a forensic thriller following FBI agent Ella Penrose as she investigates crimes that appear paranormal but may have scientific explanations. He shares why rewriting is the real key to strong writing, how personal stories become compelling material, and the techniques he teaches aspiring writers during his workshops at the Ranch.

This warm and insightful conversation is a reminder that everyone has a story worth telling and that entertainment can make room for compassion, humanity, and hope.

Resources:

• Josh Berman’s Dead Matters
• Drop Dead Diva on Prime Video

To learn more about our wonderful presenters and exciting weeks coming up at the ranch, go to RanchoLaPuerta.com and check out our events calendar. Mention the podcast when making your reservation to take advantage of a special offer. Some restrictions may apply.

Produced by NOVA

Make sure to mention the code PODCAST when making your next reservation and enjoy 15% off on new bookings for 7-night stays in 2026.

Applicable towards new reservations only. Not combinable with other offers. On space-available basis. Some restrictions and blackout dates apply. Booking must be made by December 27, 2026.

Could pleasure be the prescription your wellness routine is missing?

In this uplifting episode of Resonate, Barry sits down with naturopathic doctor, researcher, and Healthy Hedonism author Dr. Erica Oberg to explore why feeling good is genuinely good for us. Drawing from more than two decades of working with patients, Dr. Oberg explains how many people follow every wellness rule, from counting their steps to tracking their sleep, yet still feel exhausted and miserable.

Dr. Oberg challenges the belief that health must require sacrifice, punishment, or constant discipline. She shares how pleasure can shift the body out of chronic fight-or-flight mode and into a restorative state where it can rest, repair, and thrive. She also explains the difference between intelligent pleasure that nourishes us and habits that temporarily numb stress while leaving us feeling worse afterward.

From taking an eight-second hug to turning a morning cup of coffee into a meaningful ritual, this conversation is filled with accessible ways to bring more presence and enjoyment into everyday life. Dr. Oberg offers her three-part prescription for greater vitality: spend time in nature, connect with another person, and make room for creativity.

Tune in to discover why longevity should include vitality, how the way we eat may matter as much as what we eat, and why you do not need to wait for retirement, a vacation, or the end of your to-do list to experience joy.

Resources:

• Free Healthy Hedonism Audiobook for the First 100 Listeners
• Buy Healthy Hedonism: Why Feeling Good Is Good for You! by Dr. Erica Oberg
• Dr. Erica Oberg’s Website
• Dr. Erica Oberg on Instagram
• Dr. Erica Oberg on LinkedIn

To learn more about our wonderful presenters and exciting weeks coming up at the ranch, go to RanchoLaPuerta.com and check out our events calendar. Mention the podcast when making your reservation to take advantage of a special offer. Some restrictions may apply.

Produced by NOVA

Make sure to mention the code PODCAST when making your next reservation and enjoy 15% off on new bookings for 7-night stays in 2026.

Applicable towards new reservations only. Not combinable with other offers. On space-available basis. Some restrictions and blackout dates apply. Booking must be made by December 27, 2026.

What If Your Next Chapter Is Your Most Meaningful One?

Barry is joined by Marci Alboher, writer, speaker, author, and a leading voice in reimagining work, purpose, and connection across generations. Marci shares her own courageous shift from corporate law to journalism, revealing what it means to listen to your inner voice when the life you built no longer feels aligned.

Together, Barry and Marci explore the beauty of encore careers, second acts, and the growing movement to bring older and younger people together in meaningful collaboration. From mentoring and intergenerational housing to purpose-driven work after retirement, Marci offers a hopeful vision of aging as a time of contribution, curiosity, and renewal.

This conversation is an invitation to rethink what comes next. Whether you’re approaching retirement, feeling stuck in your current path, or simply wondering how to use your gifts in a more meaningful way, Marci reminds us that purpose doesn’t have to be grand to matter. Sometimes it begins with a small experiment, a new connection, or the courage to ask, “What else is possible?”

Resources:

• Marci Alboher’s LinkedIn
• CoGenerate’s Website
• The Encore Career Handbook: How to Make a Living and a Difference in the Second Half of Life by Marci Alboher
• One Person/Multiple Careers: The Original Guide to the Slash Career by Marci Alboher
• Girls Write Now Website

To learn more about our wonderful presenters and exciting weeks coming up at the ranch, go to RanchoLaPuerta.com and check out our events calendar. Mention the podcast when making your reservation to take advantage of a special offer. Some restrictions may apply.

Produced by NOVA