Beautiful Stories From Anonymous People

As Beautiful/Anonymous kicks off its tenth year, Gethard talks with a mail carrier turned artist who's done settling and ready to take some big swings, following a plan that might take you a minute to wrap your head around. She and Geth talk old jobs, new goals, and why betting on yourself is almost always the right move. Come see Beautiful Anonymous live! Head to punchup.live/chrisgethard for tickets to our upcoming shows. Sign up for Beautiful/Anonymous+ to get ad free episodes and access to exclusive audio including 5 Random Questions with this week's caller. Leave us a voicemail at (973) 306-4676  Discover a softness beyond your wildest dreams with Boll & Branch. Get 15% off your first order plus free shipping at BollAndBranch.com/beautiful with code beautiful. This January, quit overspending on wireless with 50% off Unlimited premium wireless. Plans start at $15/month at MintMobile.com/BEAUTIFUL Right now, when you spend $1,000 on Upwork Business Plus, you'll get $500 in credit. Go to Upwork.com/save now and claim the offer before 1/31/2026.

As the year turns, Gethard keeps the tradition alive by talking with callers two minutes at a time about their hopes for 2026. We hear from familiar voices and first-time callers alike, all checking in with what they're reaching for in the year ahead. New jobs and new hobbies, hiking big freakin' mountains and a surprising number of aspiring piano players, all packed into our annual New Year's Resolutions ritual. Come see Beautiful Anonymous live! Head to punchup.live/chrisgethard for tickets to our upcoming shows. Sign up for Beautiful/Anonymous+ to get ad free episodes and access to exclusive audio including 5 Random Questions with this week's caller. Leave us a voicemail at (973) 306-4676 Feel like your best self again, Visit forhers.com/BEAUTIFUL to get a personalized, affordable plan that gets you. Get your wardrobe sorted and your gift list handled with Quince. Don't wait! Go to Quince.com/beautiful for free shipping on your order and 365-day returns. Right now, when you spend $1,000 on Upwork Business Plus, you'll get $500 in credit. Go to upwork.com/save now and claim the offer before 12/31/2025.

Our caller immigrated to the U.S. from Mexico just weeks before 9/11. He talks with Gethard about growing up as an immigrant in the Midwest and how figuring out his place there led him to question everything else in his life, from religion to relationships to identity itself. Come see Beautiful Anonymous live! Head to punchup.live/chrisgethard for tickets to our upcoming shows. Sign up for Beautiful/Anonymous+ to get ad free episodes and access to exclusive audio including 5 Random Questions with this week's caller. Leave us a voicemail at (973) 306-4676 Right now, Skylight is offering our listeners $20 off their 10 inch Frames by going to myskylight.com/BEAUTIFUL Get your wardrobe sorted and your gift list handled with Quince. Don't wait! Go to Quince.com/beautiful for free shipping on your order and 365-day returns.  

Home on a snow day, a Canadian caller talks with Gethard about parenting, mental health, and dealing with a difficult change in her life. Along the way, they get into Star Wars, Italian brainrot, and whether or not Newfoundland is the New Jersey of Canada. Plus, our caller tells some stories that prove what happens in Vegas stays in Vegas, until you share it on Beautiful Anonymous. Come see Beautiful Anonymous live! Head to punchup.live/chrisgethard for tickets to our upcoming shows. Sign up for Beautiful/Anonymous+ to get ad free episodes and access to exclusive audio including 5 Random Questions with this week's caller. Leave us a voicemail at (973) 306-4676 Right now, Skylight is offering our listeners $20 off their 10 inch Frames by going to my skylight.com/BEAUTIFUL Give your loved ones a unique keepsake you'll all cherish for years—Storyworth Memoirs! Right now, save $10 or more during their Holiday sale when you go to storyworth.com/beautiful! Get 20% off your DeleteMe plan when you go to joindeleteme.com/ BEAUTIFUL and use promo code BEAUTIFUL at checkout. Text BEAUTIFUL to 64000 to get twenty percent off all IQBAR products, plus FREE shipping. Message and data rates may apply. Get your wardrobe sorted and your gift list handled with Quince. Don't wait! Go to Quince.com/beautiful for free shipping on your order and 365-day returns.

This week's caller is in the middle of a major life pivot, leaving a successful career as a college athletic trainer to become a Montana game warden. He and Gethard talk about the pressure to chase achievement for the wrong reasons and what it means to realize you built a life you never actually chose. They also get into the ethics of hunting, some wild ride-along stories, and we get an update on the caller's dad, our friend the timber faller from episode 355. Sign up for Beautiful/Anonymous+ to get ad free episodes and access to exclusive audio including 5 Random Questions with this week's caller. Leave us a voicemail at (973) 306-4676 Head to punchup.live/chrisgethard for info on all of Gethard's upcoming tour dates. Right now, when you spend $1,000 on Upwork Business Plus, you'll get $500 in credit. Go to upwork.com/save now and claim the offer before 12/31/2025. Get 20% off your DeleteMe plan when you go to joindeleteme.com/ BEAUTIFUL and use promo code BEAUTIFUL at checkout. Whether you want to lose weight, grow thicker, fuller hair, or find relief for anxiety, Hers has you covered. Visit forhers.com/BEAUTIFUL to get a personalized, affordable plan that gets you. Get your wardrobe sorted and your gift list handled with Quince. Don't wait! Go to Quince.com/beautiful for free shipping on your order and 365-day returns.

This week's caller had the neighbor from hell. She shares that story with Gethard, recounts some recent travel adventures, and then opens up about a major life change happening right now. It's an open and honest call with someone who's determined not to be defined by the heavy stuff. Sign up for Beautiful/Anonymous+ to get ad free episodes and access to exclusive audio including 5 Random Questions with this week's caller. Leave us a voicemail at (973) 306-4676 Head to punchup.live/chrisgethard for info on all of Gethard's upcoming tour dates. Give yourself and your loved ones the most extraordinary feeling sleep with 25% off sitewide, plus free shipping and extended returns during Boll & Branch's best sale of the year. Shop now at BollAndBranch.com/beautiful with code beautiful. Get 20% off your DeleteMe plan when you go to joindeleteme.com/ BEAUTIFUL and use promo code BEAUTIFUL at checkout. Text BEAUTIFUL to 64000 to get twenty percent off all IQBAR products, plus FREE shipping. Message and data rates may apply. Get your wardrobe sorted and your gift list handled with Quince. Don't wait! Go to Quince.com/beautiful for free shipping on your order and 365-day returns.

Gethard talks with a movie studio security guard calling in mid-shift. They get into local clown drama with surprising real-world stakes, the importance of keeping your dreams alive no matter what your day job is, and what happens when Spielberg catches you with your proverbial pants down. Plus, Geth's favorite TV appearance: Noches con Platanito. Sign up for Beautiful/Anonymous+ to get ad free episodes and access to exclusive audio including 5 Random Questions with this week's caller. Leave us a voicemail at (973) 306-4676 Whether you want to lose weight, grow thicker, fuller hair, or find relief for anxiety, Hers has you covered. Visit forhers.com/BEAUTIFUL to get a personalized, affordable plan that gets you. Give and get timeless holiday staples that last this season with Quince. Go to Quince.com/beautiful for free shipping on your order and 365-day returns. Give your loved ones a unique keepsake you'll all cherish for years—Storyworth Memoirs! Right now, save $10 or more during their Holiday sale when you go to storyworth.com/beautiful!

A year after unexpectedly losing her partner, this week's caller shares how she's been rebuilding on her own terms. She and Gethard talk about grief, community, resilience, and the power of telling our stories so we don't have to carry them alone. Sign up for Beautiful/Anonymous+ to get ad free episodes and access to exclusive audio including 5 Random Questions with this week's caller. Leave us a voicemail at (973) 306-4676 Give yourself and your loved ones the most extraordinary feeling sleep with 25% off sitewide, plus free shipping and extended returns during Boll & Branch's best sale of the year. Shop now at BollAndBranch.com/beautiful with code beautiful. Upside has given back $1 Billion dollars to its users. To find out how much you could earn, Download the FREE Upside App and use promo code BEAUTIFUL to get an extra 25 cents back for every gallon on your first tank of gas.  Get 20% off your DeleteMe plan when you go to joindeleteme.com/ BEAUTIFUL and use promo code BEAUTIFUL at checkout. Text BEAUTIFUL to 64000 to get twenty percent off all IQBAR products, plus FREE shipping. Message and data rates may apply.

A grassroots journalist calling in mid-haircut connects with Gethard over a shared love for community media. Together, they break down why public access matters now more than ever: how local TV and community-powered news can connect neighbors, build trust where traditional media has fallen short and, most importantly, help people tell their own stories. They swap favorite public access oddities (including a cat-costume cuddle show) and Geth shares how his own public access days somehow ended up tied to a Supreme Court case. Sign up for Beautiful/Anonymous+ to get ad free episodes and access to exclusive audio including 5 Random Questions with this week's caller.  Leave us a voicemail at (973) 306-4676 Visit Upwork.com right now to post your job for free and connect with top talent ready to help your business grow. Right now, Skylight is offering our listeners $20 off their 10 inch Frames by going to my skylight.com/BEAUTIFUL Text BEAUTIFUL to 64000 to get twenty percent off all IQBAR products, plus FREE shipping. Message and data rates may apply. Give and get timeless holiday staples that last this season with Quince. Layer up this fall with pieces that feel as good as they look. Go to Quince.com/beautiful for free shipping on your order and 365-day returns.

This week's caller has dedicated her life to understanding hoarding disorder. Years ago, she married someone whose relationship with collecting changed the course of her own life. Now she's on a mission to educate others and replace stigma with compassion. She and Gethard get into what hoarding really looks like, the reasons people find it hard to let go, and how shows like Hoarders have turned personal struggle into public spectacle. Sign up for Beautiful/Anonymous+ to get ad free episodes and access to exclusive audio including 5 Random Questions with this week's caller.  Leave us a voicemail at (973) 306-4676 Give yourself and your loved ones the most extraordinary feeling sleep with 25% off sitewide, plus free shipping and extended returns during Boll & Branch's best sale of the year. Shop now at BollAndBranch.com/beautiful with code beautiful. Get 20% off your DeleteMe plan when you go to joindeleteme.com/ BEAUTIFUL and use promo code BEAUTIFUL at checkout.  Text BEAUTIFUL to 64000 to get twenty percent off all IQBAR products, plus FREE shipping. Message and data rates may apply. Whether you want to lose weight, grow thicker, fuller hair, or find relief for anxiety, Hers has you covered. Visit forhers.com/BEAUTIFUL to get a personalized, affordable plan that gets you. Give and get timeless holiday staples that last this season with Quince. Go to Quince.com/beautiful for free shipping on your order and 365-day returns.

A caller checks in from a Costco parking lot to mark one year sober after 25 years of blackout drinking. He talks about kicking opioids, rebuilding his life, and what it's like to actually remember things again. He and Geth get into punk shows, lost friends, and how addiction doesn't always look the way people think it does. Plus, Dog Talk makes a rare appearance from behind the paywall. Sign up for Beautiful/Anonymous+ to get ad free episodes and access to exclusive audio including 5 Random Questions with this week's caller.  Leave us a voicemail at (973) 306-4676 Layer up this fall with pieces that feel as good as they look. Go to Quince.com/beautiful for free shipping on your order and 365-day returns. Get 20% off your DeleteMe plan when you go to joindeleteme.com/ BEAUTIFUL and use promo code BEAUTIFUL at checkout. Right now, Skylight is offering our listeners $20 off their 10 inch Frames by going to my skylight.com/BEAUTIFUL Upside has given back $1 Billion dollars to its users. To find out how much you could earn, Download the FREE Upside App and use promo code BEAUTIFUL to get an extra 25 cents back for every gallon on your first tank of gas.   

Here we are. Episode 500. We celebrated the only way that makes sense. With a few hundred listeners packed into a theater in Jersey and a caller whose story pretty much sums up what this show is all about. Our 500th caller is one year out from a stay in a mental hospital. She opens up about what it was like to lose her grip on reality in a pretty intense way and shares how far she's come with self-awareness, perspective, and so much humor. She and Gethard also get deep into some classic Jersey debates with our audience (porkroll vs Taylor ham? Does Central Jersey exist?), who share some of their best roadside emergency rest stop stories and try to convince our caller to divulge her government secrets Five hundred episodes. Wild. Thanks to everyone who's listened, called, and shared a piece of themselves with this show. Here's to the next 500. Sign up for Beautiful/Anonymous+ to get ad free episodes and access to exclusive audio including 5 Random Questions with this week's caller.  Leave us a voicemail at (973) 306-4676 500 Episodes of Beautiful Anonymous T-Shirt: chrisgethard.bigcartel.com Visit Upwork.com right now to post your job for free and connect with top talent ready to help your business grow. Layer up this fall with pieces that feel as good as they look. Go to Quince.com/beautiful for free shipping on your order and 365-day returns. Text BEAUTIFUL to 64000 to get twenty percent off all IQBAR products, plus FREE shipping. Message and data rates may apply. Get 20% off your DeleteMe plan when you go to joindeleteme.com/ BEAUTIFUL and use promo code BEAUTIFUL at checkout.

You've  heard us talk about it. Here's your reminder. In the last nearly TEN YEARS of Beautiful Anonymous, Gethard has had 499 unforgettable conversations with our callers. This Friday, October 17th, we're recording number 500. We'll be live at Kevin Smith's Smodcastle Cinemas in beautiful Atlantic Highlands, NJ. Get your tickets now, then come hang out, grab a shirt, get to know one another, and maybe win a chance to be a future caller.  It'll be our usual mix of chaos and heart… or at least we think so. Live shows are unpredictable. Could be the best call ever. Could be a total trainwreck. Come find out with us. Head to punchup.live/chrisgethard for tickets to our 500th episode, recording live at Smodcastle Cinemas in New Jersey THIS Friday, October 17th.

Gethard talks with a caller who shares her story of adopting a young girl and what happened when, after a year, that child chose to return to her foster family. It's an honest conversation about one person's experience with adoption, the unpredictability of parenthood,  and finding a way forward when something you've hoped for doesn't turn out the way you imagined. Sign up for Beautiful/Anonymous+ to get ad free episodes and access to exclusive audio including 5 Random Questions with this week's caller.  Leave us a voicemail at (973) 306-4676 Head to punchup.live/chrisgethard for tickets to our 500th episode, recording live at Smodcastle Cinemas in New Jersey THIS Friday, October 17th. Layer up this fall with pieces that feel as good as they look. Go to Quince.com/beautiful for free shipping on your order and 365-day returns. Your first great love story is free when you sign up for a free 30-day trial at Audible.com/BEAUTIFUL. Whether you want to lose weight, grow thicker, fuller hair, or find relief for anxiety, Hers has you covered. Visit forhers.com/BEAUTIFUL to get a personalized, affordable plan that gets you. Text BEAUTIFUL to 64000 to get twenty percent off all IQBAR products, plus FREE shipping. Message and data rates may apply.

An Australian on a solo vacation calls in from Italy. She and Gethard chat about travel, trade stereotypes about each other's countries, and get into how the rest of the world views the U.S. right now, all while the caller gives us a little walking tour of the charming Italian town she's calling from. Sign up for Beautiful/Anonymous+ to get ad free episodes and access to exclusive audio including 5 Random Questions with this week's caller.  Leave us a voicemail at (973) 306-4676 Head to punchup.live/chrisgethard for tickets to our 500th episode, recording live at Smodcastle Cinemas in New Jersey! For a limited time get 20% off Bed Bundles, plus free shipping and returns, at BollAndBranch.com/beautiful. Your first great love story is free when you sign up for a free 30-day trial at Audible.com/beautiful. For a limited time, Wildgrain is offering our listeners $30 off the first box - PLUS free Croissants in every box - when you go to Wildgrain.com/BEAUTIFUL to start your subscription. Upside has given back $1 Billion dollars to its users. To find out how much you could earn, Download the FREE Upside App and use promo code BEAUTIFUL to get an extra 25 cents back for every gallon on your first tank of gas. Text BEAUTIFUL to 64000 to get twenty percent off all IQBAR products, plus FREE shipping. Message and data rates may apply. Get 20% off your DeleteMe plan when you go to joindeleteme.com/ BEAUTIFUL and use promo code BEAUTIFUL at checkout.

This call starts at Burning Man but quickly opens up into a far more complicated conversation about grief, abuse, healing, and the long work of rebuilding. But the playa stays in the mix throughout, a touchstone for how this caller has tried to redefine life along the way. And, of course, we make a stop at the Orgy Dome. Sign up for Beautiful/Anonymous+ to get ad free episodes and access to exclusive audio including 5 Random Questions with this week's caller.  Leave us a voicemail at (973) 306-4676 Head to punchup.live/chrisgethard for tickets to our 500th episode, recording live at Smodcastle Cinemas in New Jersey! Head to LETSLIVEITUP.com/BEAUTIFUL and use code BEAUTIFUL for 15% off your first Super Greens order! Plus shipping's always free. Get 20% off your DeleteMe plan when you go to joindeleteme.com/ BEAUTIFUL and use promo code BEAUTIFUL at checkout. Keep it classic and cool this fall—with long-lasting staples from Quince. Go to Quince.com/beautiful for free shipping on your order and 365-day returns.

This week, Geth talks with a railroad worker who shares what it's really like on the job. They get into the nitty-gritty of trains, unions, and infrastructure, and explore how the rails often reflect bigger truths about where the country is headed.  Sign up for Beautiful/Anonymous+ to get ad free episodes and access to exclusive audio including 5 Random Questions with this week's caller.  Leave us a voicemail at (973) 306-4676 Head to punchup.live/chrisgethard for tickets to our 500th episode, recording live at Smodcastle Cinemas in New Jersey! Listen now to the Life Kit podcast from NPR. Keep it classic and cool this fall—with long-lasting staples from Quince. Go to Quince.com/beautiful for free shipping on your order and 365-day returns. Your first great love story is free when you sign up for a free 30-day trial at Audible.com/BEAUTIFUL. Text BEAUTIFUL to 64000 to get twenty percent off all IQBAR products, plus FREE shipping. Message and data rates may apply.  

This week, Geth talks with a firefighter/EMT who's training to be a paramedic. They get into the vital importance of volunteer work, what it's like to serve in rural communities versus tourist towns, and how showing up in moments of crisis can remind you what humanity is all about. Sign up for Beautiful/Anonymous+ to get ad free episodes and access to exclusive audio including 5 Random Questions with this week's caller.  Leave us a voicemail at (973) 306-4676 Head to punchup.live/chrisgethard for tickets to our 500th episode, recording live at Smodcastle Cinemas in New Jersey! Head to letsliveitup.com/BEAUTIFUL and use code BEAUTIFUL for 15% off your first Super Greens order. Visit Upwork.com right now and post your job for free. Get 20% off your DeleteMe plan when you go to joindeleteme.com/BEAUTIFUL and use promo code BEAUTIFUL at checkout. Feel the difference an extraordinary night's sleep can make with Boll & Branch. Get 15% off, plus free shipping on your first set of sheets, at BollAndBranch.com/beautiful Text BEAUTIFUL to 64000 to get twenty percent off all IQBAR products, plus FREE shipping. Message and data rates may apply.

Raised by a zoologist in a house full of wild animals, this psychology professor's life has remained just as untamed: coaching junior roller derby, a stint making high-end chocolate, parenting a trans kid, and that's just for starters. Unpredictable but never aimless, her conversation with Gethard is just as wide-ranging as her life. Sign up for Beautiful/Anonymous+ to get ad free episodes and access to exclusive audio including 5 Random Questions with this week's caller.  Leave us a voicemail at (973) 306-4676 Head to punchup.live/chrisgethard for tickets to our 500th episode, recording live at Smodcastle Cinemas in New Jersey! Get early access to Gethard's special A Father and the Sun! Your first great love story is free when you sign up for a free 30-day trial at Audible.com/BEAUTIFUL. For a limited time, Wildgrain is offering our listeners $30 off the first box - PLUS free Croissants in every box - when you go to Wildgrain.com/BEAUTIFUL to start you subscription. Keep it classic and cool this fall—with long-lasting staples from Quince. Go to Quince.com/beautiful for free shipping on your order and 365-day returns. Text BEAUTIFUL to 64000 to get twenty percent off all IQBAR products, plus FREE shipping. Message and data rates may apply. Whether you want to lose weight, grow thicker, fuller hair, or find relief for anxiety, Hers has you covered. Visit forhers.com/BEAUTIFUL to get a personalized, affordable plan that gets you.

This week's caller takes us into the complicated, messy, and deeply human world of sex work. The conversation stretches from personal experience to bigger questions about society. It's thoughtful, challenging, and impossible to boil down. Sign up for Beautiful/Anonymous+ to get ad free episodes and access to exclusive audio including 5 Random Questions with this week's caller.  Leave us a voicemail at (973) 306-4676 Head to punchup.live/chrisgethard for tickets to our 500th episode, recording live at Smodcastle Cinemas in New Jersey! Your first great love story is free when you sign up for a free 30-day trial at Audible.com/BEAUTIFUL. Keep it classic and cool — with long-lasting staples from Quince. Go to Quince.com/beautiful for free shipping on your order and three hundred and sixty-five -day returns. Whether you want to lose weight, grow thicker, fuller hair, or find relief for anxiety, Hers has you covered. Visit forhers.com/BEAUTIFUL to get a personalized, affordable plan that gets you. Get 15% off, plus free shipping on your first set of sheets at BollAndBranch.com/beautiful Get 20% off your DeleteMe plan when you go to joindeleteme.com/ BEAUTIFUL and use promo code BEAUTIFUL at checkout.