I'm Here Too

A podcast, hosted by Ara Tucker that explores the intersections of art, culture, commerce, careers, creativity, family, identity and all that fills the spaces in between.

I'm Here Too is a society podcast hosted by Ara Tucker, with 55 episodes on record and a Required Pod Score of 80.

Ara Tucker hosts I'm Here Too, a society show with 55 episodes published.

Our AI reads these to draft pitches. Use them as grounding for a pitch that cites a real guest and a specific topic.

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  Episode #2

  Building Out of Necessity, a conversation with Onyedika Achilike

  Sep 23, 202656 minS5

  Hi everybody, welcome to this episode of I’m Here Too. Today I’m talking to Onyedika Achilike about what it means when you grow up with entrepreneurship as a way of life designed to provide necessities and not a passion project. She shares how her definition of stability has evolved over time and lessons learned (and unlearned) along the way during her time in venture capital investing and building her own businesses in a variety of industries including wellness and recruiting. Off we go, enjoy. About Onyedika Achilike Onyedika is an entrepreneur whose career spans wellness, startups, and venture capital. After working as a venture investor in New York and Atlanta and operating startups across North America, Africa, and Europe, she founded Blue Nomad, a skin health and wellness brand based in New York’s Flatiron district. She is also the founder of NOSSA, a specialist sales and BizOps recruiting firm helping companies build commercial teams across the US, South Africa, and everywhere in between.

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  Episode #1

  Creating a Connection, a conversation with Melody Chu

  Sep 16, 202648 minS5

  Hi everybody, welcome to this episode of I’m Here Too. Today, I talk to Melody Chu about her journey from Princeton University and Harvard Law School to becoming an attorney and then publishing her debut novel Mathey Girls . We talk about the work of not just writing a novel, but getting it out into the world and finding the audiences that will connect with the story and share their feedback along the way. We get into a pretty spicy debate about the best food in Princeton as well as some other fun tidbits so enough from me, let’s hear from Melody. Off we go, enjoy. About Melody Chu Melody Chu writes contemporary fiction featuring complicated Asian American characters. She was born and raised in Cleveland, Ohio, the daughter of Chinese immigrants from Taiwan. Melody graduated from Princeton University and Harvard Law School and has practiced as an attorney in Hong Kong, Beijing and the United States. She lives in Shaker Heights, Ohio, with her husband and three children. Her debut novel, Mathey Girls , was published in May 2025, and is the first self-published book to be chosen for the Princeton Alumni Weekly's quarterly book club. Melody regularly speaks to book clubs, writing groups, and community organizations. Contact her at melody@melodychuauthor.com .

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  I'm Here Too

  I'm Here Too Season Four Trailer: Navigating Your Next Chapter

  Sep 14, 20262 minS5

  What if the next chapter is about finally living life on your own terms? In Season 4 of I’m Here Too, we explore what happens when you: • Stop waiting for the perfect moment to be yourself • Drop the corporate armor • Reclaim your priorities after a major wake-up call • Break out of the linear career mold • Realize that you are the impact Together, we explore what it looks like when you let go of old scripts, trust the unfamiliar, and step boldly into what's next.If you’ve ever found yourself asking, "What's next for me?" or navigating a major life or career transition, this season is for you. Off we go, enjoy.

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  Episode #16

  RE-RELEASE: Do the Doing, a conversation with Jon Zweifler

  Sep 1, 20261h 23mS4

  What would make you walk away from a Fortune 500 career to become an “old founder?” In this episode, I reconnect with my middle school buddy, Jon Zweifler. We talk about hitting a ceiling in your career and what happens when you realize there is no “next job” that will teach you something new. Jon shares his journey from the Fortune 500 to life as a tech founder who is building Reed AI from the ground up to turn real-world language into learnable moments for neurodivergent kids and how his personal journey inspired a platform helping children make more sense of the world around them. We also get into parenting in a rapidly changing world, including the realization that some teenagers don’t see the point of having a driver’s license, what it’s like to raise a child without a clear timetable or milestones, and letting go of velocity when you are wired to optimize everything. Jon’s lightning round answers don’t disappoint. He manages to choose both options on more than one occasion, makes a bold claim about Carmen San Diego, and has a relatable insight as to why he didn’t need to watch The Real World. Join us as we talk about the long game of doing the work, even when there are no guarantees. This episode was originally released on May 6, 2026.

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  Episode #15

  RE-RELEASE: The Dream Can Change, a conversation with Sunil Ayyagari

  Aug 31, 20261h 15mS4

  In this episode, I reconnect with Sunil Ayyagari, someone I’ve known since we were kids, to talk about time, identity, ambition, and what it looks like to build a life that surprises you. Sunil reflects on growing up queer in the late 80s and 90s, when stigma and fear shaped what was visible, and how pop culture touchstones like Madonna and Pedro Zamora, plus early AOL chat rooms, helped him piece together a sense of self. We talk about moving to New York, working in theater, and the moment he realized the dream had limits, including burnout, money, and the feeling of hitting a ceiling. From there, he walks through a full reset in his early thirties: business school, a new industry, a new city, and eventually marriage and a move back to North Jersey. We also get into attention and technology, what we miss about appointment TV and mixtapes, and how our cohort came of age before constant connectivity, then got addicted anyway. At its heart, this conversation asks: what happens when the life you thought you wanted changes? About Sunil Ayyagari Sunil Ayyagari works in brand strategy and innovation for national and global brands. From 60+ theater productions, to sexual lubricants to soup, he’s had the opportunity to market a diverse range of products, keeping the work days interesting Outside of work, Sunil’s passions include the performing arts, fundraising for the MS Society of NJ, and seeing the world with his husband of 7 years. He’s also a cat dad, with two children named Biscuit and Gravy, who are delicious as they sound. This episode was originally released on April 22, 2026.

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