Like many young aspiring actors, Monica Padman (of Drop Dead Diva<\/em>, The Good Place<\/em>, House of Lies<\/em>, and CHIPS<\/em>, to name a few) arrived in L.A. in 2011 with stars in her eyes.\u00a0<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n At 24 years old, she dreamed of landing a role on a show similar to Friends<\/em>\u2014the sitcom she had loved since eighth grade that also inspired her to act.\u00a0<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n Little did she know that life would take a different turn, eventually leading her to co-create, co-host, and co-edit one of the most popular podcasts on the planet\u2014Armchair Expert <\/em>with Dax Shepard.\u00a0<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n The \u201chow\u201d can be explained simply: proximity led to opportunity.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n Arriving in L.A., friends introduced Monica to Dax\u2019s wife Kristen Bell. Later, Monica auditioned for, and landed, a gig alongside Kristen on House of Lies<\/em>. The two established a level of trust, and Monica became Dax and Kristen\u2019s babysitter.\u00a0<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \u201cI\u2019m pretty neurotic,\u201d<\/em> Monica admitted. \u201cSo I was a little scared of losing my job all the time. I remember one time, I was picking up one of the kids from preschool, and I had the other, a baby, with me. It was one of those chaotic moments every parent knows\u2014things falling, baby screaming\u2014and I\u2019m trying to cross the street. There was this woman, a parent at the school, in a car. I honestly can’t remember the details, but essentially, I rolled my eyes at her. And she rolled the window down and scolded me! I remember her asking who I was, and I was like,<\/em> \u2018Oh no. I’m going to get fired for this. This mom is going to tell Kristen and Dax that I rolled my eyes, and I’m going to get fired.\u2019 So later, out of pure guilt, I told them. I told them I couldn\u2019t help it; it just happened. They just laughed really hard. And then I knew that there was some safety there. We\u2019d built something a little different, and that felt really good.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n Still, her sights remained set on acting.\u00a0<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \u201cIt was never like,<\/em> \u2018Oh, I’m now moving into the world of personal assisting or babysitting.\u2019 That was never a thing. It just all happened so organically. I was still there as an auditioning actress, and I made that really clear to Dax and Kristen at the beginning. They even reassured me that someone would always be available to cover for me when I went to auditions, which at the time, was frequent. I was booking commercials and doing a lot in that realm. Babysitting was my day job.\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \u201cThen, it turned into a much different relationship\u2014this real, connective family unit. But my goal of acting and working in the industry never changed\u2014all these other things were basically on the way to that aspiration. Then came the point when I had to realize that the goal had changed. Things are different now\u2014my priorities have shifted.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n In reference to Monica\u2019s blooming friendship with Dax and Kristen, she continued:\u00a0<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \u201cWe built a rapport<\/em>. You can’t fake that kind of connection. We created this solid foundation that morphed into something else entirely. We would have these real, in-depth conversations at night about various issues and topics, and we just related to one another. You really have to find your people\u2014especially out here in L.A. It\u2019s so hard, but you just have to\u2026 because otherwise, you can really just drown.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n Having appeared on Marc Maron’s and Sam Jones\u2019s podcasts, he was already hooked\u2014not only were they incredible interviewers, but Dax appreciated the long-form structure of podcasting.\u00a0<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \u201cHe really loved that type of conversation\u2014the ability to get deep. The absence of sound bites. And I was just sitting there, all casual, like, <\/em>\u2018Yeah, I can help with that. Let’s do it. Let’s try.\u2019 We had a concept, but didn’t really know what anything was going to be.\u201d<\/em>\u00a0<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n Soon after, Dax landed a guest appearance on Michael Rosenbaum’s podcast, where he met Rob, who was the sound engineer for the show. \u201cWe brought him on,\u201d<\/em> Monica said, \u201cand just dove in, creating the artwork and all the necessary pieces.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n That was in 2018\u2014the same year Apple named Armchair Expert<\/em> among its top 15 podcasts of the year\u2014and it quickly became one of the most downloaded<\/em>.\u00a0<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n Just two years later, <\/strong>Forbes<\/em><\/strong>\u00a0<\/em><\/strong>named\u00a0<\/strong>Armchair Expert<\/em><\/strong>\u00a0the fourth highest-earning podcast in the United States, estimating its yearly earnings at $9,000,000.\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n Their monthly reach?\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n Over 20 million listeners\u2014<\/em>or \u201cArmcherries,\u201d as fans are lovingly referred to.\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n And now, just three years after launch, Armchair Expert<\/em> is a Spotify exclusive. Though terms of the acquisition have not been disclosed, some have speculated that the contract is worth well north of $25,000,000.\u00a0<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n Dax and Monica interview artists, celebrities, and world leaders to \u201ccelebrate the messiness of being human.\u201d <\/em>The show\u2019s promise is to \u201ccelebrate the challenges and setbacks that lead to growth and betterment,\u201d<\/em> resulting in vulnerable conversations with some of the most intriguing names in the world: the Duke of Sussex Harry<\/a> Mountbatten-Windsor, President Barack Obama, Bill Gates, Bren\u00e9 Brown<\/a>, and many others.\u00a0<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n The show is, without a doubt, a grand slam in the world of audio. To what do they attribute their success?\u00a0<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n Primarily\u2026 that nothing<\/strong> was forced.\u00a0<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \u201cThere was no pressure,\u201d<\/em> she shared. \u201cThere was no illusion of success in this realm. We didn’t even know what it meant to be successful at podcasting. There was no meter stick. We set out to do it for fun. That was literally the goal. I don’t know that I’ve ever\u2014EVER\u2014in my life truly done anything or started anything just because it was fun.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n And secondarily, they were strategic with their guest-booking. Their very first guest was, naturally, Dax\u2019s wife Kristen. People around the world are intrigued by this relationship, so it seemed a natural choice. And it didn\u2019t disappoint:\u00a0<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \u201cTheirs is a very honest portrayal of who they are\u2014they\u2019re not trying to present anything that isn\u2019t real. People like that\u2014they gravitate toward authenticity, and Dax and Kristen exude it. That first episode drew a large, loyal audience. And then our second and third episodes were Ashton Kutcher and Joy Bryant\u2014again, connected guests. It was a little bit strategic in the way of bringing on people who were already fans of Dax.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n And there are many\u2014on Twitter alone, Dax and Kristen amass several million followers. Plus, Dax appeared on Ellen <\/em>to promote the launch of the podcast \u2014a privilege Monica called \u201cspecial and different.\u201d<\/em> From there, word-of-mouth brought the show a new level of popularity.\u00a0<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n Despite Dax and Monica initially joking about naming the show The Millionth Podcast<\/em> as a nod to the saturated space, they have, without a doubt, set it apart from the competition:\u00a0<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \u201cDax is incredibly curious. He\u2019s very good at asking questions, diving deep, and being vulnerable.<\/em>\u00a0<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \u201cWhen we first started, though, I was really hung up on a lot of stuff,\u201d <\/em>Monica admitted. \u201cWe had Judd Apatow on, and I was still in the mindset of someone who wants to be in a Judd movie! So, I’m sitting next to him and in my head, I\u2019m going, <\/em>\u2018I need to talk! I need to be impressive.\u2019 And of course, no one’s impressive when they want to be impressive. So that was a big hindrance. But I just don’t have that anymore. And I think that is largely thanks to three things: the confidence the show has brought me, our success, and our gratitude. I really love being part of the podcast culture.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n To succeed in the podcasting space, Monica advises podcasters to remain \u201cmalleable<\/em>.\u201d<\/em> Having moved to Spotify, for example, she explained how she and Dax are constantly revisiting and re-evaluating the breakdown of the show in addition to what’s happening at every moment.\u00a0<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n For Monica, perhaps one of the greatest unforeseen positive effects of podcasting has been making her parents proud. As Indian immigrants, Monica shared, they put their lives on the line, sacrificing so much to come to America so their children could have safe paths moving forward in their lives:<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \u201cThe fact that I\u2019m now able to give them some element of security is the absolute best gift of all. They both came to one of our in-person shows to surprise me. And as they were getting on the plane, my dad said,<\/em> \u2018We’re really proud of what you’re doing.\u2019 You think you grow out of wanting to hear that, right? But you don’t. It was really special.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n Together, Monica and Dax capture special, unique moments and human truths. Their conversations are intimate and honest as they explore their guests\u2019 stories and share them with their listeners worldwide\u2026 perhaps no longer just for fun, but for the betterment of all.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n At the end of the day, each and every one of us can relate to the messiness of being human\u2026 and the truths these discussions lead us to.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n <\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n <\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n <\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n November 2021<\/p>\r\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Co-host of the most popular podcasts on the planet\u2014Armchair Expert with Dax Shepard<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":11457,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[72],"tags":[324,2047,325,2048,2045,2043,2042,2044,2046,58],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n![\"Armchair](\"https:\/\/podcastmagazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/11\/Armchair-Expert-300x300.jpeg\")
It was following these nightly conversations and debates that Dax became interested in starting his own podcast.\u00a0<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n