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The Gist · Friday · 49 min

TJ Miller: "When the air hits your brain, it's never the same."

Today on The Gist, guest host Adaam Levin introduces Mike Pesca's conversation with comedian and actor TJ Miller, who reflects on life, stand-up, and the traumatic brain injury that altered his cognitive wiring. Miller walks through his experience surviving a 2010 brain surgery to remove an arteriovenous malformation in his right frontal lobe, explaining how the resulting neurological shifts fuel his manic work ethic, remove natural fatigue cues, and act as an improvisational cheat code on stage. Along the way, he and Mike riff on oddball city mottos, touring smaller American towns like Fort Wayne, navigating the realities of an invisible disability, and why embracing chaotic crowd work remains the ultimate test of a stand-up comedian. Stop online threats before they become real-world attacks. Visit ironwall.com/GIST and request a free Risk Assessment to see exactly how exposed your executives are. Produced by Corey Wara For full Pesca content and updates, check out our website at https://www.mikepesca.com/⁠ For ad-free content or to become a Pesca Plus subscriber, check out ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://subscribe.mikepesca.com/ Follow us on Social Media:⁠⁠⁠⁠ YouTube https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC4_bh0wHgk2YfpKf4rg40_g⁠⁠⁠⁠ Instagram https://www.instagram.com/pescagist/ X https://x.com/pescami TikTok https://www.tiktok.com/@pescagist Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

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show notes

Today on The Gist, guest host Adaam Levin introduces Mike Pesca's conversation with comedian and actor TJ Miller, who reflects on life, stand-up, and the traumatic brain injury that altered his cognitive wiring. Miller walks through his experience surviving a 2010 brain surgery to remove an arteriovenous malformation in his right frontal lobe, explaining how the resulting neurological shifts fuel his manic work ethic, remove natural fatigue cues, and act as an improvisational cheat code on stage. Along the way, he and Mike riff on oddball city mottos, touring smaller American towns like Fort Wayne, navigating the realities of an invisible disability, and why embracing chaotic crowd work remains the ultimate test of a stand-up comedian.

Stop online threats before they become real-world attacks. Visit ironwall.com/GIST and request a free Risk Assessment to see exactly how exposed your executives are.

Produced by Corey Wara

For full Pesca content and updates, check out our website at https://www.mikepesca.com/

For ad-free content or to become a Pesca Plus subscriber, check out ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://subscribe.mikepesca.com/

Follow us on Social Media:⁠⁠⁠⁠
YouTube https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC4_bh0wHgk2YfpKf4rg40_g⁠⁠⁠⁠
Instagram https://www.instagram.com/pescagist/
https://x.com/pescami
TikTok https://www.tiktok.com/@pescagist

 


Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

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