Weekly episode
New interview every Tuesday on Apple, Spotify, YouTube and the RSS feed.
218 episodes and counting
Long conversations about the messy middle
Every Tuesday, a ninety minute interview with someone building something real, focused on the years nobody puts in the keynote. No ad reads for mattresses.
218episodes
41kweekly listeners
4 yrsrunning weekly
90 minaverage episode
Ways to listen and support
Free feed, members feed, live shows
The main show is free forever. Everything else pays for the studio time.
Members feed
Ad free episodes, the full uncut interviews and a monthly listener mailbag show.
Annual membership
Everything in the monthly tier plus early access to live show tickets.
Episode transcripts
Full searchable transcripts published with every episode within 24 hours.
Live show tickets
Quarterly live tapings in Nashville with two guests and audience questions.
Host sponsorship
One sponsor per episode, read by the host, products we have actually used.
About the show
Four years of Tuesdays, no skipped weeks
The Cold Open started in a spare bedroom in 2021 and has published every Tuesday since. The format is simple: one guest, ninety minutes, no pre submitted questions, and the parts of the story that usually get edited out. Guests have included restaurant owners, game developers, a bridge inspector and the person who rebuilt a bankrupt regional airline.
•218 consecutive weekly episodes, no reruns
•Full transcripts published free with every episode
•One sponsor per episode, no programmatic ads
Reviews
What listeners say
“The only interview show where the host shuts up long enough for the guest to say something surprising.”
Owen F., Listener since episode 12
“I listen to the whole ninety minutes on my commute every Tuesday. I have not skipped one in two years.”
Rachel N., Members feed subscriber
FAQ
About the podcast
Where can I listen?
Everywhere podcasts live: Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Overcast, Pocket Casts and YouTube, plus a direct RSS feed if you prefer your own app. Members get a separate private feed that works in any podcast app.
How do I pitch a guest?
Use the contact form and tell us what the guest actually built and what went wrong along the way. We book about three months out and we do not book anyone whose story is only a success story.
What does the membership get me?
Ad free episodes, the uncut interviews which often run two hours, a monthly mailbag episode and first access to live show tickets. It is seven dollars a month and it pays for the studio and the editor.
Do you take sponsors?
One per episode, read by the host, and only for products someone on the show has actually used. Rates start at $2,400 per episode and we will happily turn down a category that does not fit the audience.
Contact
Get in touch
Guest pitches, sponsorship questions and listener mail all land in the same inbox and get read every Friday.
Phone(555) 555-0144
Address812 Dickerson Pike, Studio C, Nashville, Tennessee
HoursNew episodes Tuesdays 6am Central