Talk Nerdy To Me

About Talk Nerdy To Me

What happens when a late-diagnosed autistic woman with synesthesia decides to hack her own life in the name of adventure? Meet Jen Friel—writer, entrepreneur, and accidental internet pioneer—who once quit her job to "give up everything she owned" (pre-influencer marketing being a 'thing') and live off of social media. Her experiment turned into a viral brand that was optioned by Jerry Bruckheimer and purchased as a put-pilot at CBS (after a four-way bidding war between ABC, CBS, NBC, and FOX ... of course). This isn't just another podcast—it's a ride through identity, chaos, resilience, and the weirdly wonderful ways we find our place in the world. If you've ever felt "too much" or "not enough," Jen's story might be just for you.

Publisher

Jen Friel

Category

society & culture · true crime

Language

en

Explicit

No

First episode

22 May 2026

Latest episode

21 Aug 2026

Latest episodes

13 episodes in the feed.

1. 

   21 Aug 2026

   EP. 12 - That Time a Ghost Town Leads to a Revelation in the Stalking

   Some goodbyes require a road trip. This one required a full tank, a packed passport, and a skeleton onesie. Jen and Jeff are driving out of El Paso and into the West Texas desert to bury one of the six people Jen calls family. Gil Prather was a Mensa-level genius, a mentor, and the one person who kept telling her, for years, that she processed the world differently than everyone around her. She spent a long time arguing with him about that. She is finally ready to admit he was right. What she is not ready for is what the desert does to people who are already paying too much attention. Because West Texas is a vortex. Hours of nothing between towns, a breakfast spot that technically sits in another country, a friend who arrives in something closer to a tank than a car, and a lunch table so improbable that Jen would not believe it herself if her husband had not been sitting right beside her. In the middle of all of it, something happens that has never happened to her before, a new way of perceiving two strangers that she has no language for, and no idea what to do with. So she asks the only person she trusts to explain it: her eighth grade art teacher. The answer she gets back reframes everything. Then there is the funeral itself, which is less a service than a twenty-four-hour jam band send-off in a ghost town, and Jen, the woman who gives a very good funeral, quietly running the logistics in a black tulle dress. It ends the only way a life like Gil's could end. And somewhere between the river, the ceremony, and the after-after party, a thought surfaces about the person who has been following her for months. One detail about this trip does not fit the pattern. That detail is a tell. Grief, genius, and a diagnosis that keeps getting louder. This is the episode where the middle of nowhere finally hands Jen a direction. That Time a Ghost Town Leads to a Revelation in the Stalking — a story about being seen on every level, hearing what nobody else hears, and the kind of goodbye that sends everyone home carrying a piece of it.

2. 

   13 Aug 2026

   EP. 11 - That Time Jack Dorsey & Rick Rubin Met A Nerd Dressed as a Skeleton

   For years, people told Jen she was smart. One man ... a genius himself ... spent seven years trying to get her to believe it. She brushed it off every single time. She wasn't ready to hear it. She wasn't ready to be different. This episode is about what happens when you finally reach for answers and the first hand extended to you belongs to a con man. It's about a message sent into the void to a personal idol, a phone call placed to GoDaddy in front of someone who helped build the internet, a skeleton onesie, a ghost town, and a goodbye to the one person who always saw the truth — even when Jen couldn't see it herself. Some people spend their whole lives looking for a guru. Sometimes the guru tells you to stop looking. Episode 11: That Time Jack Dorsey & Rick Rubin Met A Nerd Dressed as a Skeleton is a story about fraud, grief, validation, and a teepee with a hand-painted Wi-Fi sign in the middle of nowhere.

3. 

   6 Aug 2026

   EP. 10 - That Time I Discovered My Wires Were Crossed

   For her entire life, Jen knew she processed the world differently. The vivid colors. The physical sensations tied to a voice. The uncanny ability to see the architecture of a problem before anyone else even realized something was wrong. But for decades, this profound intuition was dismissed, misdiagnosed, or simply chalked up to being "special"—leaving her searching for answers while navigating a reality no one else could see. This episode is about the moment the puzzle pieces finally snap into place. From a surprisingly profound Zoom call on a regular Tuesday afternoon to a dive into her own extraordinary family lineage, Jen receives a framework that changes everything. And as she uncovers the truth about her own wiring, she must also confront the unsettling reality of a man who claims to read others but refuses to examine himself. Sometimes, the most shocking revelations don't come with fireworks—they arrive quietly, confirming what you knew all along. This is the episode where the lifelong mystery gets a name. That Time I Discovered My Wires Were Crossed — a story about unexpected diagnoses, setting boundaries, and realizing that seeing things differently isn't a flaw; it's a superpower.

4. 

   30 Jul 2026

   EP. 9 - That Time I Wanted Blood from The Human Lie Detector

   For months, Jen had been paying a highly credentialed "human lie detector" for validation, only to be met with professional deflection and silence. This episode is about the moment that changed. From the shocking history of a 1970s kidnapping on sovereign land to a deeply vulnerable revelation in a therapist's office, Jen pieces together a story that is stranger ... and more validating than anything she could have imagined. And somewhere in the middle of it all, an actual medical professional confirms what she has known all along. Some people really do see what others miss. This is the episode where the truth finally takes shape. Talk Nerdy to Me® ... Jen Friel's personal experience about instincts, a life changing diagnosis, and the dangerous illusion of authority.

5. 

   23 Jul 2026

   EP. 8 - That Time My Maid of Honor Said What Nobody Else Would

   Some people come into your life at exactly the right moment. Not because they planned it. Not because you asked. But because they see what you cannot, and they love you too much to stay quiet. Jen is deep in the process. The sessions are ongoing. The training is in motion. And for the first time in a long time, something feels like it might actually be working. Then her phone rings. This is the episode where the person who knows Jen best sits down at her dinner table, opens a laptop, and starts asking the questions nobody else thought to ask. No agenda. No drama. Just a best friend who had a bad feeling and refused to let it go. This is the episode where things get very uncomfortable, very fast. The human lie detector said he could read anyone. He never accounted for her.

6. 

   16 Jul 2026

   EP. 7 - That Time a Human Lie Detector Presented a Black Parachute & a Loaded Gun

   For most of her life, Jen believed she understood why she experienced the world differently. She noticed patterns, documented everything, and trusted what she could see, even when no one else seemed to see it. Then she met a man who claimed he could read what people never said aloud. What begins as a series of intense, repetitive sessions slowly becomes something far more personal. Every answer is tested. Every expression feels exposed. And somewhere between a childhood diary, a blurred set of credentials, and a late-night internet search, Jen begins to realize that the mystery in front of her may not be the one she thought she was solving. Sometimes the most unsettling truth is the one that explains everything. Episode 7: "That Time a Human Lie Detector Presented a Black Parachute & a Loaded Gun " is a story about perception, identity, and what happens when the person trained to see through everyone else turns his attention toward you. Learn more about Jen and read the original blog posts for Talk Nerdy to Me Contact Jen for interviews. © 2026 Jen Friel - All rights reserved.

7. 

   9 Jul 2026

   EP. 6 - That Time a Thud in the Hallway Ended With Gavin de Becker

   You know the saying: the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results. But no one talks about what happens when you say the same thing over and over. When you keep telling a story that sounds impossible to people who aren't quite ready to believe it, and you say it anyway, because you know what you saw. This is the episode where Jen stops waiting to be believed and starts collecting proof that she already is. Between sessions with the human lie detector, a series of synchronicities so specific they defy any reasonable explanation begin stacking up around her. A familiar face. A name that shouldn't be in someone's phone. A moment of being seen, fully, clearly, without having to explain herself, by someone who had no reason to look. Learn more about Jen and read the original blog posts for Talk Nerdy to Me Contact Jen for interviews. © 2026 Jen Friel - All rights reserved.

8. 

   2 Jul 2026

   EP. 5 - That Time I Met A Human Lie Detector

   When every option narrows to one — disappear — Jen does what she's always done. She refuses. Armed with new information and a growing list of people willing to help, she follows a thread that leads her to one of the most credible truth detectors in the country. But getting answers isn't as simple as asking the right questions. Sometimes the person you trust to find the truth is hiding one of their own. This is the episode where Jen stops running, starts hunting, and discovers that the line between protector and predator isn't always visible — until it's too late. Learn more about Jen and read the original blog posts for Talk Nerdy to Me Contact Jen for interviews. © 2026 Jen Friel - All rights reserved.

9. 

   25 Jun 2026

   EP. 4 - That Time I Befriended A Modern Day Shaman

   Jen had the evidence. The footage. The eyewitness accounts. The background reports. The professional confirmation. She had done everything right — and still, the picture wasn't complete. The why kept slipping through her fingers. This episode is about the conversation that changed the direction of everything. From a COVID-era speakeasy hidden behind an alley in Mid-City, to a support group phone call she never expected to be on, Jen follows the thread from what she knows to what she's finally ready to name. And somewhere between a casting notice taped to an art deco door and a term she had never heard before, someone she trusts completely sees exactly what she sees. Some people have a name for what you've been experiencing. This is the episode where Jen finds it. Learn more about Jen and read the original blog posts for Talk Nerdy to Me Contact Jen for interviews. © 2026 Jen Friel - All rights reserved.

10. 

    19 Jun 2026

    EP. 3 - That Time I Was Surrounded by Idiots

    For years, Jen had been telling people what she was seeing. The body language. The patterns. The feeling that something was deeply, deliberately wrong. And for years, she had been met with skepticism, silence, or a polite suggestion to try again later. This episode is about the moment that changed. From a hotel lobby to a police station to a spa in Koreatown, Jen pieces together a story that is stranger — and more validating — than anything she could have scripted. And somewhere in the middle of it all, a complete stranger confirms everything. Some people really do see what others miss. This is the episode where the proof shows up. That Time I Was Surrounded by Idiots — a story about instincts, validation, and a t-shirt that says more than it was ever meant to. Learn more about Jen and read the original blog posts for Talk Nerdy to Me Contact Jen for interviews. © 2026 Jen Friel - All rights reserved.

11. 

    11 Jun 2026

    Ep. 2 - That Time My Pics Were Shared Without Permission

    Jen Friel boards a cruise ship with her family, knowing she's still being followed. She tries to push it out of her mind. It takes less than a day for the pattern to reappear. But this time, something is different. The behavior is bolder. More coordinated. And Jen is done being silent. What happens next sets off a chain of events that takes her from international waters to a police station lobby, from a Yelp search for private investigators to a phone call that changes everything. Along the way, she learns who believes her, who doesn't, and what it actually takes to be heard when no one thinks your story is real. This is the episode where instinct meets action. Learn more about Jen and read the original blog posts for Talk Nerdy to Me Contact Jen for interviews. © 2026 Jen Friel - All rights reserved.

12. 

    5 Jun 2026

    Ep. 1 - That Time I Found Out My "Followers" Were Real

    Jen Friel can read a stranger in seconds. She always thought it was intuition — until the strangers started showing up everywhere. Watching. Rotating. Following a pattern only she could see. For years, no one believed her. Friends were confused. The police couldn't help. But Jen documented everything and refused to give up. When a single piece of surveillance footage finally proved what was happening, the truth was far more disturbing than she ever imagined — a co-founder arrested for attempted murder, extortion, and kidnapping. But the biggest revelation wasn't about the people following her. It was about herself. This is the unbelievably true story of Talk Nerdy to Me founder Jen Friel, told in her own words for the first time. A story about stalking, survival, pattern recognition, and the life-changing diagnosis that answered the question she had been asking her entire life: why am I so different? Learn more about Jen and read the original blog posts for Talk Nerdy to Me Contact Jen for interviews. © 2026 Jen Friel - All rights reserved.

13. 

    22 May 2026

    Talk Nerdy To Me - Trailer

    If you were born knowing your brain was different, would you still try to think like everyone else? Or would you blaze your own path? Jen Friel is a trailblazer. She crashed the Grammy Awards, taught Pablo Escobar's surgeon how to use Twitter, and regularly invites Buzz Aldrin to her parties. Her life story is so unbelievable that Jerry Bruckheimer optioned it twice. But behind the wild adventures and the Hollywood bidding wars, Jen was drowning. Without knowing why, she couldn't regulate her system. She led a challenging life just doing everyday things. After surviving two suicide attempts, she chose to start living life on her own terms—even though she was completely unsure of what that meant. Then, a piece of surveillance footage changed everything. Diagnosed late in life with autism, synesthesia, and a few other conditions she'll tell you about later, Jen finally got the answers she had been searching for. Suddenly, the chaos made sense. This is the ACTUAL story of Talk Nerdy To Me®—told by the person who built it with her bare hands. It's a podcast about identity, resilience, and the weirdly wonderful ways we find our place in a world that wasn't built for the brains and bodies we were born with. If you've ever felt like an alien, welcome home. Jen is happy to host you and any other weirdo you came with. Subscribe now to hear the full story. New episodes dropping soon.

Reach and audience

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

Apple Podcasts (US)

5.0 / 5

3 ratings