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Danielle Fishel
This is an iHeart podcast guaranteed human.
Will Friedle
Ever been at the pharmacy counter and your mind goes blank when the pharmacist asks any questions? That's why you need to listen to beyond the Script from CVS Pharmacy and iHeartMedia. Hosted by Dr. Jake Goodman, each episode features real conversations with CVS pharmacists, the health experts you see most, breaking down the questions you wish you'd asked, from which meds may not mix well to what vaccines you need before a big trip. They'll bust myths, decode trends, and share practical advice you can actually use. Listen to beyond the script on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.
Danielle Fishel
I'm Danielle Fishel, Rider Strong and Will.
Will Friedle
Friedle from Pod Meets World.
Danielle Fishel
Whether you're a seasoned small business owner or thinking about getting started, check out season four of Mind the Business small business success stories from iHeartMedia's Ruby Studios and Intuit QuickBooks.
Ryder Strong
In this latest season, hosts Austin Hankwitz and Janice Torres are talking to self starters about the ins and outs of entrepreneurship and how QuickBooks helps you to get more done in less time. You won't want to miss it.
Will Friedle
Listen to Mind the Business Small business success Stories on the iHeart app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts after the holidays.
Danielle Fishel
Your brain wants one thing less. Less noise, less clutter, less doing. Pura helps you reset your space with premium smart home fragrance. No complicated routine required. Right now. You can get a free Pura 4 home diffuser when you subscribe for 12 months, set schedules, adjust intensity and come home to calm on your terms. This offer won't last. Get your free diffuser@pura.com Running a business is hard enough. Don't make it harder with a dozen apps that don't talk to each other.
Will Friedle
One for sales, another for inventory, a separate one for accounting. That's software overload.
Ryder Strong
Odoo is the all in one platform that replaces them all. CRM, accounting, inventory, E Commerce, hr. Fully integrated, easy to use, and built to grow with your business.
Danielle Fishel
Thousands have already made the switch. Why not you try Odoo for free at o d o o.com that's odoo.com.
Ryder Strong
So I'm really excited to finally share with you guys something that I've been working on for so long.
Will Friedle
This is a long time in the making.
Danielle Fishel
This is a long time in the making.
Ryder Strong
A long time.
Danielle Fishel
You had to ignore us on tour. You had to say no, I will not go hang out with you guys. I am working.
Will Friedle
That's Mostly what he does, though, normally.
Danielle Fishel
I know he was just happy about that.
Will Friedle
Yeah. Now he had a real excuse.
Ryder Strong
Yeah. So I've been. I've been really working hard for over a year on a project that I can now share with you and with our listeners. And it really goes back to, like, my love of mysteries and crime stories, crime books, especially, like, novels. I'm a huge fan of, like, Tana French and Michael Connelly. And I just. Not only do I read these, but I also listen to them on audiobooks a lot. And I also love podcasts, true crime podcasts, any kind of podcast. I've been listening forever.
Will Friedle
That's true. By the way, you were one of the original podcast listeners. I think the first time I ever.
Ryder Strong
Heard the word podcast was out of my mouth. Yeah.
Will Friedle
Yeah.
Ryder Strong
I think I got into him in, like, 2008, you know, like, when I was still had, like, a regular old ipod and had to download it. So it actually made sense to call it a podcast. But anyway, yeah, so I started this project I had. I had an idea. At first it was full documentary, which was that I would interview people that I grew up with, because, you know, there's a lot of. Where I grew up was, like, a lot of alternative family situations, like the high school that I went to, you know, where I graduated in a class of 12. A lot of, like, kids growing up with, like, communes, some may say cults, situations where, like, people would be like, oh, they're half brothers and half sisters. And it's like, because they're the child of the same leader of their, like, group, you'd be like, your cousins, you're related. How does this all work and how, you know. So I decided to, like, interview some of my old friends and my family about those situations and just see, like, if there was material there or something to make a sort of podcast out of it. And I quickly realized that there might be a fun way to do this and actually fictionalize it. And so I decided to take a lot of the real material that I was gathering and write a fake true crime podcast. So essentially, like, Blair Witching, some real aspects of my life. So I ended up changing the names of everybody involved except for my immediate family. So my wife is in it, my son is in it, my parents, my brother. Then I kept interviewing friends. I kept gathering material. I spent a lot of time outlining. And then this fall, I spent weeks running around with a microphone, which was, like, the most fun I've had in so long. Anyway, I'm really proud of it. I'm now I've been editing and creating music with Kyle Morton of Typhoon, who did our, who created our podcast theme, has been composing all this incredible music for me and I got to go up to Portland and like do that. Anyway, I want to play the first seven minutes for everybody.
Danielle Fishel
We're so excited.
Will Friedle
What's it called? Can we ask what's it called?
Ryder Strong
The Red Weather.
Danielle Fishel
The Red weather. Mm.
Will Friedle
Ever been at the pharmacy counter and the pharmacist asks, do you have any questions? And suddenly your mind goes blank? That's exactly why you need to listen to beyond the Script from CVS Pharmacy and iHeartMedia. Hosted by Dr. Jake Goodman, this podcast brings you real conversations with CVS pharmacists, the health experts you see most answering the questions you wish you'd asked, like which medications might not mix well, what vaccine should you consider before a big trip, and even those questions you were too embarrassed to say out loud. Each episode busts myths, decodes health trends, and gives you practical, trustworthy advice straight from the people behind the counter. No white coats, no lectures. Just real talk, real answers, and maybe a few laughs. Listen to beyond the script on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.
Danielle Fishel
I'm Danielle Fishel Ryder Strong and Will.
Will Friedle
Friedle from Pod Meets World.
Danielle Fishel
Whether you're a seasoned small business owner or thinking about getting started, you will definitely want to check out season four of Mind the Business small business success stories from iHeartMedia's Ruby Studio and Intuit QuickBooks.
Ryder Strong
Mind the Business is part entertainment, part instruction manual, part inspiration. Each episode features practical tips and success stories that will resonate with entrepreneurs in any industry.
Will Friedle
In this latest season, hosts Austin Hankwitz and Janice Torres are covering topics on the forefront of running a small business.
Danielle Fishel
They're talking to self starters about everything from how AI helps them work smarter to weathering market uncertainties and enjoying the benefits of being your own boss. And using Intuit QuickBooks to help you get more done in less time. You won't want to miss it.
Will Friedle
Listen to Mind the Business Small business success Stories on the iHeart app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.
Danielle Fishel
Every week on Pod Meets World, we go back in time. Old episodes, old stories, old memories. And nowadays it always ends with I totally forgot that happened. Cue the bear and the honey.
Will Friedle
And so unless you also have a rewatch podcast, your forgotten memories are probably sitting in a closet somewhere. VHS tapes, camcorder footage, photos and envelopes slowly deteriorating like they're in a museum no one visits.
Ryder Strong
Well, we have good news. Legacy Box is the solution you've been looking for. You send them a box filled with your old tapes, film reels and pictures.
Danielle Fishel
And their team digitizes everything by hand right here in the US Then you get it all back, originals included, plus digital copies ready to watch and share.
Will Friedle
I love how easy it is. No weird tech knowledge required. You just mail it in and suddenly you're watching family holidays, vacations, and moments you thought were gone forever.
Ryder Strong
And they digitize over 15 different formats. VHS, Super 8 photo negatives. So whatever random media you've been holding onto for decades, they've seen worse.
Danielle Fishel
They've been doing this for 10 years, helping over a million families relive weddings, childhood chaos, and very questionable road trips. Cue the bear and the honey.
Will Friedle
Kick off the new year right by rescuing your family's most cherished memories.
Ryder Strong
Go to legacybox.com meets world to save 55%. Bring your memories back to life.
Danielle Fishel
That's legacybox.com meets world. After the holidays, your brain wants one thing less. Less noise, less clutter, less doing. Pura helps you reset your space with premium smart home fragrance. No complicated routine required. Right now you can get a free Pura 4 home diffuser when you subscribe for 12 months, set schedules, adjust intensity, and come home to calm on your terms. This offer won't last. Get your free diffuser@pura.com.
Ryder Strong
The Red Weather is a work of fiction. Any resemblance to actual persons or events reflects the adaptation of real, publicly available materials for creative and legal reasons. The content of this podcast is the sole responsibility of Red Weather, LLC and does not reflect the views or responsibilities of iHeartMedia or its affiliates. A few days before she died, I got a letter from Willow. Willow was my neighbor and one of my best friends as a kid. We grew up in the Redwoods outside of Sebastopol, California. It's about 60 miles north of San Francisco. And even though we were just through the woods from one another, we had very different childhoods. Willow was part of a commune, or what they called it, a collective. It was a group of maybe 30 people, and it was called Tender Hearts. It was one guy, really, the leader, Elric, and then women and kids. That's Sheriff Maldonado. He was the sheriff back in the 80s and the 90s. So he ended up dealing with the Tender Hearts. When neighbors would complain or if kids got into trouble, it was hard to wrap your head around. It was nature and trees and praying. I guess it would be called meditating today. And drugs his pot mushrooms, Mescaline. Willow's mom was a founding member of Tenderhearts, so she lived there with Willow and her sister Anna. When we were young, Willow and I were close, really close. We used to meet in the woods between our houses and spend all afternoon together, sometimes camping out. But things got complicated in our teens. By the time I got her letter, I hadn't talked to her in years. I didn't even know she had my address. She was in Panama, in Bocas del Toro. It's a series of islands close to Costa Rica. Apparently, she'd gone with an organization to help sea turtles protect their habitat or something. But really, it sounds like she went to get away and to get sober. The letter was mostly about what she was up to in Panama, working in a vegan pizza place down there. Before I could write her back, I found out she took her own life. My mom saw it on Facebook. So your. You're still in touch with her mom? Well, only through Facebook. I mean, it's not like I see her or talk to her, have private phone calls, but, you know, we. She posts things, and this was one of the things she posted. I was surprised. It's really sad. It's really sad.
Noah
She was begging me to come visit her.
Ryder Strong
This is Noah. He grew up with Willow, too.
Noah
She begged me. She was like, can you please, please come visit? I'm really lonely. I need a friend. I need some help, you know? She wrote me this poem that was very, you know, in that context was quite deep and dark and basically just talking about loneliness and isolation and kind of meaninglessness of everything.
Ryder Strong
He's now a psychiatrist up in Seattle.
Noah
And it's. It's really challenging. It's really. I mean, I've had a number of patients, suicide. And even with that, it's really hard to reconcile that of, like, could I have done something more?
Ryder Strong
If I was honest, I might not have even written her back. I mean, we were in very different places. She was single, childless, hopping around different countries. I'm married. I have a kid. I live in la. I work as a writer, director, and as you might know, I host a podcast about the TV show I was on as a kid.
Danielle Fishel
Welcome to Pod Meets World. I'm Danielle Fishel.
Ryder Strong
I'm Roger Strong.
Will Friedle
And I'm Will Friedle.
Ryder Strong
Willow was still chasing new experiences, new people, and new places in a way that, when we were young, was exciting and admirable. But now that we're in our 40s, it felt a little desperate, erratic.
Noah
I remember for the first few years of our friendship. You know, it was like. It was kind of like being a being on a drug near her. She had so much energy and excitement and spontaneity and, like. But then I remember as she started to decompensate in our teen years, it was like. It was a very. It was really challenging to be around her. I. I should say all this with a caveat that, like, it's impossible for me not to, like, use my psychiatric nosology on her now. Now, looking back, I mean, she was just the archetype of someone who had. Had clearly had a lot of childhood tr.
Ryder Strong
There's a few traumas Noah could be referring to here. There was the fact that she grew up on a collective in the woods. She definitely had some awful boyfriends. There were drugs. But the central trauma of Willow's life had to do with her sister, Anna. Anna was two years older than us, which isn't much, except when you're 15. Back then, she was in a whole other category of existence. And I probably would have gotten to know her better, except. On Halloween night, 1995, Anna disappeared. It was a horrible time. For a couple of months there, it seemed like everyone we knew was a suspect or had a secret. We all got interviewed by the cops. People blamed Willow's mom. People blamed the Tender Hearts, Anna's boyfriend. People blamed the town. But no one knew what actually happened. No body was ever found, no charges ever filed. Most everyone assumed that Anna ran away, that she just wanted out of Tender Hearts or Small Town took off. But Willow never thought that. She knew her sister would never leave without her. Or at least without saying goodbye. This is from Willow's letter. I know I made you promise something about the night Anna disappeared. You and Crystal Vecchio and Orion and Connor were there too. Do you remember? We pinky swore. So here's the deal. I want you to know I don't fucking care anymore. I release your pinky. Sir, I am. No, I can't read this, but I think she wrote authority. But I want to know the truth. If Anna is still out there or the person who killed her is out there, then keeping my secret is stupid. It always has been. I kept going back over the letter, Going back over my memories and my relationship with Willow. I kept wondering, why did she send this to me? Why didn't she decide to tell the truth to herself? In 1995, my neighbor Anna Traynor disappeared. She was 17. Her body was never found. No one was ever arrested, no explanation given. And back then, I lied to my parents. I Lied to police. I lied to everybody because Anna's sister Willow asked me to. I've decided to go back to my hometown, interview my friends and family, and talk to police and journalists, whoever I can to try to find out what actually happened. I am actor and filmmaker Ryder Strong. This is the red weather.
Will Friedle
Cool.
Ryder Strong
Yeah, that's great.
Will Friedle
It sounds amazing.
Danielle Fishel
I got chills.
Will Friedle
Yeah, it sounds amazing.
Ryder Strong
It's very dark. I probably should have warned people. It gets dark fast, but. Yeah, I'm so excited.
Will Friedle
So wait, did you really have a neighbor that committed suicide?
Ryder Strong
I'm not there. There was a real suicide that inspired this story. Yes. But, you know, the character of Willow, a lot of the characters are combinations of people. Sure. You know, the source sort of like take. Take like two or three people and sort of merge them together and, you know, create a fictional version. But yeah, it's. How many episodes?
Will Friedle
How many episodes?
Ryder Strong
Eight. Eight episodes. They're like, you know, 35, 40 minutes each. I can't wait for you guys to listen to it. And I can't wait for people to. Yeah, it's, you know, it's like. Even though it's, you know, it's very fictional, it's also very personal. Yeah. So it's like in this weird way, like, I've spent all this time on this thing and now it's like terrifying to kind of expose it to the world and like, you know. Yeah, yeah.
Will Friedle
But when does it drop? When can we hear it?
Ryder Strong
January 28th. So soon. And the trailer has more like, you know what the actual. Because this. This opening is mostly just me talking and, like, my mom in there and some friends and stuff. But, like, you know, it actually gets into scenes. I mean, everything is like documentary style, but, you know, it was me, like, running around with an actual, like, had microphone. Microphones and in the woods and like, real scenes. It's like really fun stuff. Yeah. I can't wait for you guys to listen to it.
Danielle Fishel
I can't wait.
Will Friedle
That's amazing.
Danielle Fishel
I love that. It's that you. While you're listening to that, that first seven minutes, you're thinking like, yeah, I'm interested.
Ryder Strong
Why?
Danielle Fishel
Why did this girl kill herself? I'm going to get to the bottom of. Of Willow's death. And then at the end, you're actually like, no, the most important mystery is about what happened to her sister. And that'll uncover things about Willow. Oh, man, I'm so excited.
Will Friedle
That's really cool. I'm very. Yeah, I'm excited, too. That's great.
Ryder Strong
It's very much like 90s nostalgia. And you know, it's kind of about nostalgia too. You know, it's about the sort of pitfalls of that. So, you know, and I'm very much not the hero. Like, I am a bad detective. That's part of the fun of it. You know, it's like I'm, you know, I get to poke fun at myself a lot, but also pay homage to my hometown and like, you know, all the weird and wonderful things about Sebastopol and up north and like the way I grew up and the people around me. It's really. Yeah.
Danielle Fishel
Are all of the episodes coming out at once or are you gonna release?
Ryder Strong
Yeah, Wednesday the 28th, the first one comes out and then Friday, the second one will come out and then it'll be a Wednesday, Friday for the next like three weeks after that. Okay. Yeah. So there's eight episodes. Yes. So cool. I'm so excited. I can't wait for people. I can't wait to. Yeah, so if you give a listen to the whole thing and then let me know what you think. And you know, I'm so excited to share this, man.
Danielle Fishel
Congratulations. I'm really proud of you.
Will Friedle
Been working hard.
Danielle Fishel
Now, Will, we should go on the road and see if Ryder still has. Still won't have lunch with us.
Will Friedle
Wait, he still.
Ryder Strong
Of course. Well, now I gotta write a novel. Now I'm actually wr. A novel. So now I'm gonna like, say, yeah, guys, I can't. Can't stay out. I gotta write. But yeah, no, I have to get better at that.
Will Friedle
Of actually sitting down and writing. Yeah, yeah.
Danielle Fishel
That was your New Year's resolution.
Will Friedle
I know.
Ryder Strong
And It's. It's.
Will Friedle
I'm 300 pages in.
Ryder Strong
No, I mean, what I started doing with this is I just Woke up at 4:30 every morning because it was the only way to. Because otherwise it's like, don't get it done, man. Life just keeps happening.
Will Friedle
But see, I don't need to do that because I don't have kids. So I can do it at 4:30 in the afternoon.
Ryder Strong
That's true. Yeah. That's just. But will you. That's the thing.
Danielle Fishel
That's the problem.
Ryder Strong
When you wake up and there's no nothing else to do and everyone else is still asleep, it's like, okay, but.
Will Friedle
You and I have had this conversation for years about what you've done here, about the. The combination of genres.
Ryder Strong
Yes.
Will Friedle
Which is so much fun. Which is the best. The book that I'm writing is the same thing. It's my memoir with a fantasy novel. And so that the idea of taking the two things and then. But smashing it out the way that you did. Because at first I was like, wait, if you're just doing a podcast, why are you, like, running around the woods?
Danielle Fishel
And then.
Will Friedle
But when you think about it, it's the perfect way to do it because it's like. It's kind of the new film. It's like an old school radio show.
Ryder Strong
Totally.
Will Friedle
It's.
Ryder Strong
It is.
Will Friedle
It's the shadow that my dad and I used to listen to when he. When, you know, he was a kid. Then he had me listen to it as a kid. It's almost like you're on a Foley stage. You've got people, but you're actually doing it.
Ryder Strong
You're. Well, that was. That was a big thing for me. It was like. Because I. I've tried to listen to a lot of scripted podcasts and, you know, there's just a level of, like, when you're. When, you know, actors are sitting in a booth and recording it, it feels a little. It's harder to, like, buy into it. You know, you can always tell when someone's acting with their voice. And so that' I wanted to use real material. Like, we never were in a booth. Like, we never. You know, besides my voiceover, everything is on location. Like, so if a scene took place at a diner, we're, like, in a real diner while it's open. We're just, like, having real conversations. I improvised like crazy. Like, so it was a lot of outlining, but the whole goal was to just make it as real as possible, you know, when I listen to scripted stuff, it's hard for my ear to, like, buy in, you know, but when I listen to, like, people just actually talking, it's really intriguing, you know, like podcasting. That's what's so great about it, is like, it's like a window into somebody's. I guess a window is a bad metaphor because that's like, a visual one. But, you know, it's like, there's something about, like, the audio that just, like, draws you in, for me, at least. And so I just wanted to try and make it as real as possible. And you're right. Like, making a fake documentary became the best way to do that.
Will Friedle
All right, so when this becomes a huge success, you have to do another one, but you have to use Danielle.
Ryder Strong
And I. Oh, no. I already know what season two is.
Will Friedle
Okay, good.
Ryder Strong
And it will definitely involve you guys.
Will Friedle
Okay, good.
Ryder Strong
All right.
Will Friedle
We gotta be involved in that in some way.
Ryder Strong
Cause it's too cool. Yeah, no, if I get a season two, I will definitely, I will definitely include you guys for sure as yourselves.
Danielle Fishel
So much fun. Well, congratulations, Ryder. We're proud of you. Can't wait to hear it all. I think it'll be perfect timing for me because I'll be on the road and so even with the three weeks, at least most of it I'll be able to the minute they come out.
Ryder Strong
Yeah. Awesome. That's awesome.
Danielle Fishel
You all can listen to red weather starting January 28th on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. We can't wait to hear your thoughts. I'll be sure to send you my notes.
Ryder Strong
Yes, please.
Danielle Fishel
Can we. Can we get early episodes? Do I get still hookup?
Ryder Strong
We're still editing them, but yeah, yeah, I. I'll.
Will Friedle
I'll send them all.
Danielle Fishel
It say do we. Do we benefit at all from friends with being friends with you? I want these episodes.
Will Friedle
I do too. And by the way, everything we say on this podcast is the express view of everyone at iHeart.
Danielle Fishel
Unlike writers, unlike this one is entirely.
Ryder Strong
Is entirely what everyone responsibility. Podmeats World is an iHeart podcast produced and hosted by Danielle Fishel, Wilfred L And Ryder Strah, executive producers Jensen Karp and Amy Sugarman, Executive in charge of production Danielle Romo, producer and editor Tara Sugbash, producer Matty Moore, engineer and Boy Meets World superban Easton Allen. Our theme song is by Kyle Morton of Typhoon. Follow us on Instagram odmeatsworld Show or email us at podmeatsworldshowmail.
Danielle Fishel
Com.
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Danielle Fishel
This is an iHeart podcast. Guaranteed Human.
Podcast: Pod Meets World
Host Network: iHeartPodcasts
Episode Date: January 25, 2026
This special preview episode of Pod Meets World centers on co-host Ryder Strong's highly anticipated new fiction podcast, "The Red Weather." Danielle Fishel, Will Friedle, and Ryder Strong discuss the creation and concept of Ryder's project, how it intertwines with his real-life experiences, and share the gripping first seven minutes of the new show. The conversation delves into the blending of true crime, nostalgia, and personal storytelling, offering a behind-the-scenes look at Ryder’s creative process and motivation.
Pod Meets World offers a heartfelt, insider preview of “The Red Weather.” Ryder Strong’s new show is both a loving homage to his roots and a sophisticated narrative experiment—fusing real-life interviews, 90s nostalgia, small-town mystery, family trauma, and self-aware fiction. The excitement and pride from Danielle and Will is palpable, and the preview suggests a gripping and emotionally complex listening experience for fans of both Pod Meets World and narrative podcasting.
"You all can listen to Red Weather starting January 28th on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. We can't wait to hear your thoughts." — Danielle Fishel [22:08]