LZ introduces his podcast “You Are Beautiful,” born from pandemic isolation, weight gain, and his Achilles rupture, and welcomes Melissa Etheridge.

Etheridge says she learned “mirror work” during chemotherapy for breast cancer 22 years ago, training herself to say “Hello, gorgeous” and define beauty from within. They discuss oneness, choosing one’s feelings, and course-correcting negativity through gratitude and staying general rather than focused on life’s details. Etheridge describes a major awakening after over-consuming cannabis edibles, later followed by her breast cancer diagnosis, which propelled study of spirituality and plant medicine. She speaks about son Beckett’s opioid addiction and death in May 2020, emphasizing, “I cannot get sick enough to make a sick person well.”

Etheridge recounts her musical beginnings in Kansas, coming out, early women’s-bar circuit, discovery at Pasadena’s Vermie’s, the “Bring Me Some Water” breakthrough, her bald 2005 Grammy performance during chemo, and writing her new album “Rise,” including “Call You.” They discuss advice for LGBTQ people and parents, and she advises LZ for his upcoming duet with Kelly Clarkson, then sings a snippet of “I Wanna Come Over.”

Timestamp Menu:

00:00 Welcome You Are Beautiful
01:07 Why This Podcast Exists
03:03 Melissa Mirror Work
05:01 Oneness Gratitude Reset
09:16 Advice For Angry Mornings
13:44 Awakening Cancer And Cannabis
18:15 Loss And Loving Through Addiction
24:51 Leavenworth Roots First Guitar
27:10 Coming Out And Early Career
29:51 Finding Work in LA
30:12 Underground Women’s Scene
30:48 Label Pressure and Coming Out
32:36 Breakthrough Single Origins
36:07 Chemo and Grammy Comeback
39:38 Awards and Artistic Purpose
40:57 Songwriting Process and Inspiration
43:18 Rise Album and Personal Loss
46:13 Strength, Identity, and Community
48:29 Advice for LGBTQ People and Parents
52:16 Duet Prep and Stage Confidence
55:06 Romance, Stalker Song, and Farewell