Outside the Bell Curve

Outside the Bell Curve

di Heather Hiccups
Società e cultura
Stagione 2
Not Cute to Panic: The Whimsical Art of Going Full-Time Comedian | Zubi Ahmed
Zubi Ahmed was told by her teachers not to bother with a creative career because "nobody's gonna watch you." Now she's performing stand-up for hundreds of people in New York City, and she recently turned the loss of her day job into an opportunity to go all in on comedy. Queen Zubi (I'm dubbing her this now) is a Queens-born comedian, filmmaker and producer who co-hosts the NYC comedy shows Kutti Gang and House Party. We talk about growing up Bengali in Ozone Park, learning comedy from sitcoms with her immigrant parents, falling into stand-up by accident, and why she refuses to panic, even about an "iffy" bank account. Long story short...book the room first, then figure out the rest. For the forever curious and the ones chasing wild ideas. Do the scary thing. Chapters 0:00 Intro 1:06 Meet Zubi Ahmed 2:22 Digital Nomads, Travel Guilt & Loud Americans 8:13 Which New York Accent Does It for You? 11:04 Sitcoms, Immigrant Parents & Wanting to Write 14:30 The Teachers Who Said "Don't" 17:07 Falling Into Stand-Up by Accident 22:07 Representation Doesn't Have to Look Like You 26:02 Lost the Job, Found the Sleep 37:16 Zubi's Advice: Book the Room First YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/@OutsideTheBellCurvePodcast IG - https://www.youtube.com/@OutsideTheBellCurvePodcast Follow Zubi - https://www.instagram.com/chopzubicomedy/ Follow the host - https://www.instagram.com/heather_hiccups/ https://buymeacoffee.com/heatherhiccups
S2 · E3
30 set 2026
42:49
Do The Scary Thing: A Pro Soccer Player's Road from US to Valencia & Puerto Rico | Danielle Marcano
Danielle Marcano didn't just chase a childhood dream, she stepped away from it for two years, went back to school for a master's in sports psychology, and then rebuilt herself into a professional soccer player good enough to sign in one of the best leagues in the world. Pro La Liga and Puerto Rican National TeamSoccer player, Danielle, takes us through her path from Iceland, Turkey, and France before landing in Valencia, Spain — all while suiting up for Puerto Rico's national team in World Cup qualifiers. What's it feel like to move abroad alone? The culture shock of small talk (or the lack of it), learning a new language on the fly, and the mental rebuild it took to trust herself again after time away from the game. She also opens up about the women who inspire her, how much women's sports have grown since she turned pro, and why she believes doing the things that scare you is the only way to actually find out who you are. This is a conversation about identity beyond your job title, redefining what "success" even means, and having the guts to bet on yourself in a country where you don't speak the language yet. YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/@OutsideTheBellCurvePodcast IG - https://www.youtube.com/@OutsideTheBellCurvePodcast Follow the host - https://www.instagram.com/heather_hiccups/ https://buymeacoffee.com/heatherhiccups
S2 · E2
16 set 2026
44:15
Quit His Job & Created His Own Opportunities: Your Sign If You Wanna Reinvent Yourself | Lamar Dawson
Lamar Dawson — aka the Dirty King of Pop — has built a career out of reinventing himself more than once. He started with a master's in higher education, a job at Georgetown, and a dream of working in student affairs. He hit refresh, moved into PR, and eventually quit that stable job (giving back his signing bonus in the process) to chase entertainment full time. Today he's a SiriusXM & TikTok radio host, a L'Oréal Vice President, and a content creator who built his whole platform without chasing virality — SiriusXM discovered him with only 20,000 followers and hired him without an interview. In this episode, we get into: Why he thinks of career reinvention like a slingshot, the pullback is what makes the launch go further Growing up Black in predominantly white military towns, and how that's given him a unique perspective on pop culture His lifelong Christina Aguilera obsession Why he believes nobody's truly original — "we're all just sampling from each other" The mindset shift from posting for virality to posting for opportunity His dream interview ... is it Christina, is it Beyoncé? Follow Lamar: https://www.instagram.com/dirrtykingofpop/ YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/@OutsideTheBellCurvePodcast IG - https://www.youtube.com/@OutsideTheBellCurvePodcast Follow the host - https://www.instagram.com/heather_hiccups/ https://buymeacoffee.com/heatherhiccups Chapters: 00:00 - Hi 03:01 – Meet Lamar Dawson 03:59 – His Secret First Career 07:17 – Finding His Voice on TikTok 09:25 – Vulnerability vs. Working Corporate 11:39 – Growing Up Black & the Christina Aguilera Origin Story 22:38 – Blogging His Way In & Quitting His Job 26:53 – Dream Interviews & Pop Culture Nostalgia 38:04 – Sampling From Each Other 46:04 – Balancing It All 56:27 – Post for Opportunities & The Slingshot Theory
S2 · E1
9 set 2026
1:00:31
Outside the Bell Curve is back! Season 2 Trailer
Trailer
This year was filled with countless times meeting incredible people who amazed me at every turn. Professional soccer/futbol player? Got that. Headlining comedian? Check. TikTok star by morning and VP at a major company by day? Yes and Yes. Get ready to feel inspired, ready to say "ef the timeline" and eager to pursue your passions. This year we're really going for it (note to self) so hop in, cuz we're jumping unapologetically Outside the Bell Curve! YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/@OutsideTheBellCurvePodcast IG - https://www.youtube.com/@OutsideTheBellCurvePodcast Follow the host - https://www.instagram.com/heather_hiccups/ https://buymeacoffee.com/heatherhiccups
S2
7 set 2026
1:04
Stagione 1
God, Sex & Rich People… Purity Ring to NYC with Mattie Jo
Esplicito
We’ve all been there, trying to outgrow the version of ourselves we were raised to be. The “good girl,” the rule follower, the one who doesn’t question anything… until suddenly you do. Mattie Jo Cowsert is a pastor’s kid turned shameless oversharer, actor, author of God, Sex & Rich People, and truly the definition of “I’ll do as I please.”  From rebuilding her entire identity, to choosing a life that feels good, and staying out of situations that shrink you. We get into: • How the queer community and the diversity of New York City cracked open everything she believed about “purity culture” • Why “Fuckboy Monsters” was not only a chapter in her book, but a full era • What it really feels like to rebuild your identity in your 20s (and 30s) • Writing God, Sex & Rich People and developing her viral pilot  • Why she refuses a safe 9–5 in favor of alignment,  joy, and simply believing in herself.  Get ready to rethink the “rules” you grew up with, laugh at her overshares, and maybe feel a little braver about pursuing your passion projects. ⁠⁠Follow Mattie Jo - https://www.instagram.com/mattiejocowsert/ ⁠⁠Follow Heather- ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/heather_hiccups/⁠⁠  ⁠⁠
S1 · E11
26 nov 2025
39:39
Ghost Hunting 101 with Spirit Chasers: Apparitions, EMF & Evidence. A Halloween Special
What happens when the ghosts get to know you? This Halloween, we’re with Spirit Chasers UK, the nonprofit ghost-hunting team making the paranormal accessible, affordable, and full of heart. David and Marie share their wildest encounters: a singing child, flying tables, a haunted cottage that sent them running, and explain why laughter might be the strongest tool in any investigation. A story about trust, energy, and finding community in the unknown. Learn about Spirit Chasers - https://www.spiritchasersparanormal.uk/ ⁠⁠Follow Heather- ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/heather_hiccups/⁠⁠ ⁠⁠Follow the show on Substack- ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://travelinghiccups.substack.com/⁠⁠
S1 · E9
29 ott 2025
34:34
No Plan B: Eric Jackson on Breaking Into Sports Journalism and the Business of Sports
Eric Jackson knows the game on and off the field. He’s an award-winning journalist and sports communications strategist, ate a hundred “no’s,” and still landed on his feet covering athletes from the NFL to the Olympics and artists from Ice Cube to Darius Rucker. He highlights the business of sports, showing the intersection where athletics, money, and culture collide. We talk resilience without a Plan B, student journalism that matters, athletes as entrepreneurs (yes, Ice Cube’s Big3 and Macklemore’s golf era), and why the scoreboard is only part of the story. Eric opens up about the journey to get here, giving back by teaching at Long Island University, dreaming about LA28, and designing a life that doesn’t look like anyone else’s. ⁠Follow Eric - https://www.instagram.com/epjackson/ ⁠Follow Heather- ⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/heather_hiccups/⁠ ⁠Follow the show on Substack- ⁠⁠https://travelinghiccups.substack.com/⁠
S1 · E8
22 ott 2025
28:59
Cliff Jumps, Ownership & One-Way Tickets: Santiago’s Leap to Mallorca, Spain
“We came to this world to live.” Meet Santiago Iglesias — an Argentine entrepreneur turned Mallorca adventure guide who left a 10-year accounting career to build a life of business ownership, cliff jumps, solar travel and navigating visas. He opened a hostel in Mar del Plata, Argentina, took the journey to Italian citizenship, and upped and moved across the world; learning patience, what happens when you slow down, what happens when you meet new people from different cultures, and all of the lovely bits in between. We touch on his favorite places from Uluwatu, to Australia, to where he now calls home. If you’ve ever craved a nudge to choose the unexpected—this is it. So, as always, this is your fun reminder to (maybe) ‘do the scary thing’ you never know what could happen. Follow Santiago here to hear about his adventures, hostel, and bar back in Argentina- https://www.instagram.com/san_iglesiass/ Follow Heather- https://www.instagram.com/heather_hiccups/ Follow the show on Substack- https://travelinghiccups.substack.com/
S1 · E7
7 ott 2025
29:02
Adventure Travel, Tech Startups & Every Country in the World — with Jacey Jones
Jacey Jones didn’t plan on becoming a founder — but today she runs two companies in the travel space: TripSuite, a tech startup streamlining the travel advisor industry, and Kamira Travel, a boutique agency specializing in luxury adventure. Jacey shares how she pivoted from Wall Street and Silicon Valley into travel entrepreneurship, why advisors are more in demand than ever, and what it’s like to juggle two companies while chasing her goal of visiting every country in the world. Check our Kamira Travel: https://www.kamiratravel.com/ Follow Kamira Travel on TikTok for inspiration: https://www.tiktok.com/@kamiratravel Follow the Show: ⁠Outside the Bell Curve on Substack⁠ Follow Heather: ⁠https://www.instagram.com/heather_hiccups/⁠
S1 · E6
24 set 2025
39:46
From Football Fields to Film Sets: Marcus Lorenzo Brandon on Chasing the Feeling
Esplicito
Marcus Lorenzo Brandon has worn a lot of hats — college football player, cybersecurity entrepreneur, actor on Mayor of Kingstown — but through it all, the art has always come first. Marcus shares what it’s really like to chase acting while balancing a full-time career, why theater still has his heart, and why directing is calling his name. We talk football, philanthropy, and what it means to follow the feeling of your craft. Follow Marcus: https://www.instagram.com/marcuslorenzobrandon/ Follow the Show: Outside the Bell Curve on Substack Follow Heather: https://www.instagram.com/heather_hiccups/ Volunteer in NYC: New York Cares
S1 · E5
10 set 2025
49:50
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