Other with Chloe Aftel

About Other with Chloe Aftel

The Other Pod is the latest venture from acclaimed visual artist Chloe Aftel. With a long career of pushing boundaries and exposing all the messy in-betweens of society, Chloe now takes her lens to a deeper level through The Other Pod. Join Chloe for monthly inquisitions into the lives of famed creatives, activists, philosophers, writers, scholars, and more. From rapper/activist Killer Mike to feminist philosopher Serene Khader, Chloe’s uniquely curious and empathetic way of connecting with guests furthers the throughline of all her work: how gender, identity, and sexuality create works of meaning. With each new episode profiling unique identities and careers, Chloe bravely looks at the way self-expression can lead to freedom, how being an outsider is more universal than may appear, and what tangible strategies we can invoke in pursuit of something greater than the status quo. Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-other-pod-with-chloe-aftel--6567483/support (https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-other-pod-with-chloe-aftel--6567483/support?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=rss).

Publisher

Chloe Aftel

Category

arts · society & culture · society & culture

Language

en

Explicit

Yes

First episode

31 Jan 2023

Latest episode

1 Oct 2026

Latest episodes

92 episodes in the feed.

1. 

   1 Oct 2026

   Episode 44 — Blondshell on Creating Music, Processing Emotions, and Navigating the Industry

   Gen Z rock-music superstar, Blondshell (https://open.spotify.com/artist/7qrEXiLLnWkkYHhadZ1Oij?si=R2Dyk6jdTJq5_fVlE6O9IQ&amp;utm_source=copy-link), sits down with Chloe Aftel to discuss her success as a singer-songwriter, debuting with the critically acclaimed album, “Blondshell,” in 2023 to the completion of her most recent project, “Violins,” which will hit over seven hundred thousand eager ears this September. Having amassed a large fanbase early in her career, Blondshell shares a look into her psyche, describing how she handles artistic pressure, parasocial relationships with fans via social media, and the expectations of the modern music industry while staying true to her artistic instinct. Shimmering throughout a compelling conversation is Blondshell's reverence for self-connection, emotion and storytelling, which reveals itself in her creative process, and the attention to detail she shows her craft. Excitingly, Aftel and her discuss how “Violins” represents her evolution as an artist who believes music to be the most healing activity in her life. On top of a stellar discography, Blondehell's sincere passion for making music, sharing her life through art, and her upcoming release, is sure to captivate anyone interested in how high quality artists thrive in today's complicated media nexus. Moments to look forward to: Blondshell discusses the importance of emotional vulnerability in her professional work while explaining how that impacts her private sphere and interpersonal experiences She delves into  her relationship with her voice and how it has evolved throughout her artistic journey, illuminating its connection to her identity, psyche and art practice She shares her conceptualization of the music industry while outlining her personal goals in relation to performance and the dynamic between virality and success Born in New York City in 1997, Sabrina Mae Teitelbaum debuted as Blondshell in June 2022 with her single, “Olympus,” and has since released three critically acclaimed studio albums, amassing a monthly listenership of over seven hundred thousand people. Having taken singing lessons since she was seven years old, Teitelbaum was first introduced to the stage in elementary and high school, where she sang in talent shows and school related events. After graduating in New York City, Teitelbaum moved to Los Angeles where she attended the USC Thornton School of Music, majoring in songwriting for two years before dropping out to pursue music full time in 2017. Following a pop-adjacent EP release under her first alias, BAUM, in 2020 Teitelbaum made the sonic and identity shift to Blondshell. In the years since she has built a stellar discography full of songs revealing deep personal truths that connect with her dedicated audience. On September 26, 2027, Blondshell will add another batch of songs to this discography, under the album, “Violins,” which shows Teitelbaum at the height of her singer-songwriting abilities, and solidifies her position as one of Gen-Z’s brightest rock-stars. Chloe Aftel (https://www.chloeaftel.com/) has spent her career working in commercial photography, photojournalism, and film. She’s an established name in modern photography with work featured in The New York Times, Mother Jones, Playboy, Dazed &amp; Confused, Vogue Germany, The Hollywood Reporter, The Wall Street Journal, Vogue Italia, Vanity Fair, Rolling Stone, Teen Vogue, and more. Aftel has photographed victims of sexual violence, reported on COVID 19's impact on the trans community, and gained access as the first reporter in COVID wards of the West Coast’s hardest-hit hospitals. She has covered underground abortion providers, the impact of gender pronouns on daily life, and clergy abuse. Aftel's first book, <a href="https://www.chloeaftel.com/outside-inbetween"...

2. 

   1 Sept 2026

   Episode 43 — Derf on High Quality Storytelling, Artistic Integrity and Creating Comics

   Renowned comic and graphic novelist, John Backderf—also known as Derf—sits down with Chloe Aftel to discuss his bountiful thirty-year career, focusing specifically on his graphic novels, including, My Friend Dahmer (2012) and Kent State: Four Dead in Ohio (2010) which phenomenally investigate the political, personal, past and present. Through a focused conversation, Derf reveals his artistic motivations and unwavering instinct, emphasizing how they’ve guided him through decades of high-quality storytelling in his individual style. Over the hour, Chloe digs into Derf’s psyche, uncovering how the heavy narratives he investigates have transformed him as an artist, thinker, and member of society. In his deadpan style, Derf provides many personal anecdotes that illuminate the linearity of his career, from running the bi weekly comic, The City, from 1990-2014, to his upcoming graphic novel, The Dissidents, which will be published in September of 2026. It is this novel, which investigates a swept-under-the-rug political tale, combined with Derf’s humility and belief in the value of high quality storytelling, that reminds the listener diligent art has the power to bring light into the world. Things to look forward to in the episode: He expands on how he builds off of a blank page via conceptualization of point of view, visual nuance and characterization He shares the trials he's faced in publishing throughout his career, explaining how his artistic integrity has both benefitted his career and had prices to pay He discusses the transformative power of telling complicated stories from both a purely objective perspective as well as from the perspective of someone involved in the narrative John Backderf, also known as Derf, is an American cartoonist most known for his graphic novels, which include the highly acclaimed, My Friend Dahmer—winner of the Alex Award in 2013 from the American Library Association and a film adaptation in 2017. Graduating from high school in 1978 in his hometown, Richfield, Ohio, Derf would attend the Art Institute of Pittsburgh for a mere six months before dropping out and beginning a garbageman job that would later inspire his second graphic novel, Trashed, in 2015. Having been slapped awake by garbage-filled months, Derf enrolled at Ohio State University, where he would graduate with a degree in journalism and experience as a political cartoonist for the Ohio State Lantern. Professionally, he began his career at The Evening Times in West Palm Beach and then as a staff cartoonist at the Cleveland Plain Dealer in the 1980s, a time following his involvement in the punk movement of the late 1970s. In 1990, Derf began his comic strip, The City, which would appear in 174 publications across its twenty-four year lifespan. Derf’s first graphic novel, Punk Rock and Trailer Parks, was published in 2010, and launched his success in the field. This September, Derf will add The Dissidents to his dazzling catalog, and share with the world his fifth graphic novel, a suspenseful political thriller combined with comic history that is sure to leave readers satisfied. Chloe Aftel (https://www.chloeaftel.com/) has spent her career working in commercial photography, photojournalism, and film. She’s an established name in modern photography with work featured in The New York Times, Mother Jones, Playboy, Dazed &amp; Confused, Vogue Germany, The Hollywood Reporter, The Wall Street Journal, Vogue Italia, Vanity Fair, Rolling Stone, Teen Vogue, and more. Aftel has photographed victims of sexual violence, reported on COVID 19's impact on the trans community, and gained access as the first reporter in COVID wards of the West Coast’s hardest-hit hospitals. She has covered underground abortion providers, the impact of gender pronouns on daily life,...

3. 

   1 Aug 2026

   Episode 42 — Ghada Hatem-Gantzer on Caring for Women Facing Gender Based Violence

   Ghada Hatem-Gantzer, a Lebanese obstetrician and gynecologist, discusses with Chloe Aftel the intricacies of her work providing competent, holisitic medical care for female-identified victims of gender based violence (GBV). Through an educational conversation, Hatem-Gantzer paints a detailed picture of the women she cares for, and how her success as founder of La Maison des Femmes (a center dedicated to these women), is owed to her unique approach. La Maison des Femmes understands the complexity of GBV, and employs a kaleidoscope of professionals adept at providing psychological, physical and social care at no cost for the patient. Simultaneous to sharing a deeper look at her life-changing practical work, Hatem-Gantzer expresses optimism for the future while applauding recent victories, such as gaining the French government’s support for pleasure-restoring surgeries regardless of context and the lifting of the French ban against abortions for women three months into their terms. Overall, victories like this, combined with how Hatem-Gantzer addresses complex issues, leaves the listener both sober and hopeful, with a renewed belief that an equitable world exists if we have the courage to think deeply about, and vouch for, what is just. Some of what the episode explores: Hatem-Gantzer identifies the four types of female genital mutilation and the procedures that have been developed to treat these issues Elaborates on the psychological state of the women she helps and the shift that follows surgical operation and the restoration of pleasure She explains the logistical, financial and historical obstacles she’s faced and how she’s overcome them while clarifying why national and crowd sourced funding is critical to the success of her efforts. Ghada Hatem-Gantzer is acclaimed for her fierce defense of women’s health rights and for founding the La Maison des Femmes—the first healthcare facility for women recovering from gender based violence—in 2016. Hatem-Gantzer was born in 1959 in Lebanon, where she went to school at the Lycee Francais in Beirut, and then later to France to study medicine. In 1996, determined to offer comprehensive care, she created the first Medical Assistance Center for Procreation at the Bluets Maternity Hospital. Continuing her mission, in 2010 she joined the Hopital Delafontine where she established an IVF center, a female genital mutilation treatment unit, and a breast cancer unit. In 2011, she took lead of the maternity unit of the Centre Hospitalier Delafontine, where she discovered that out of 4,700 women who had given birth, 15% had experienced genital mutilation. It was this discovery that inspired her to found La Maison des Femmes. Since its opening, La Maison des Femmes has received the Brussels CHU Peace Prize in 2017, and the European Citizen Prize in 2018. In 2024, Hatem-Gantzer was given the honor of carrying the Olympic Torch in Paris, an apt symbolism of the light she’s brought to thousands of women who prevail despite their circumstance. Chloe Aftel (https://www.chloeaftel.com/) has spent her career working in commercial photography, photojournalism, and film. She’s an established name in modern photography with work featured in The New York Times, Mother Jones, Playboy, Dazed &amp; Confused, Vogue Germany, The Hollywood Reporter, The Wall Street Journal, Vogue Italia, Vanity Fair, Rolling Stone, Teen Vogue, and more. Aftel has photographed victims of sexual violence, reported on COVID 19's impact on the trans community, and gained access as the first reporter in COVID wards of the West Coast’s hardest-hit hospitals. She has covered underground abortion providers, the impact of gender pronouns on daily life, and clergy abuse. Aftel's first book, Outside &amp; In Between (https://www.chloeaftel.com/outside-inbetween), is an...

Who has been a guest on Other with Chloe Aftel

Names identified in recent episode analyses. Showing up to five guests.

• Carla Jimenez
• Chelsea Devantez
• Carla Maria Jimenez
• Tara VanDerveer

Reach and audience

Public platform figures. Ratings count people who left a rating, not total listeners.

Apple Podcasts (US)

4.8 / 5

16 ratings

Spotify

4.3 / 5

6 ratings

Podcast Authority Score: 48 / 100

A composite of feed quality, social presence, YouTube performance and engagement. Read the methodology.

Quality

67

Social presence

0

YouTube

0

Engagement

71

Contact Other with Chloe Aftel

Guest appearances

Does not typically book guests

Based on episode analysis; this does not confirm that the show is currently accepting guests.

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