Dam Yankee – Details, episodes & analysis

Three years ago, musical comedian Meg Buzza was practically paralyzed by Long Covid, facing months of bedridden isolation and intense uncertainty. Today, the Bay Area native is living her dream as a full-time professional improv comedian in Amsterdam.

Join us as Meg shares her incredible story of resilience with host Zack Newmark on Dam Yankee. A former professional dancer, Meg recounts the mysterious illness that left her with crushing pain, chest pressure, and a "suicidal depression." She details her exhaustive search for a diagnosis and recovery, which ultimately led to a life-changing realization while visiting the Netherlands.

Hear how Meg shifted her focus from the "obsession with healing" to cultivating joy with the physical capacity she has, a philosophy rooted in her decade-long practice of Buddhism. She discusses her upcoming one-woman show at Boom Chicago and how she uses comedy to explore self-acceptance, chronic illness, and finding happiness despite physical limitations.

Find Dam Yankee on YouTube and all podcast platforms. Join Meg on Instagram and her website.

Tags:

Amsterdam, San Francisco, California, Meg Buzza, musical comedy, improv comedy, Boom Chicago, Long Covid, chronic illness, Buddhism, Dam Yankee, Zack Newmark, self-acceptance, performance art, one-woman show, health, Noord-Holland, comedian, United States, comedy, podcast, podcast interview, entertainment, immigration, social media, Bay Area, Santa Rosa, disability advocacy, Dutch audiences, Dutch

Join Emmy-winning journalist Zack Newmark, host of the Dam Yankee podcast, for a chat with American comedian and Boom Chicago cast member, Katie Nixon. Now living in Amsterdam, Katie discusses how she transforms the anxiety of the news cycle into comedy, including a song about doomscrolling from the improv show The Good, the Bad and the Algorithm.

Katie recounts her move from the boisterous laughs at Second City and iO in the Chicago improv scene, to the far more reserved audiences in the Netherlands, the surreal experience of seeing ICE raids intensify in her former Chicago neighborhood, and the cultural differences she faces.

Hear her take on using political comedy as a powerful "release"—screaming about billionaires and political figures—while acknowledging that not every moment needs a huge laugh. She shares how the Boom Chicago team handles tricky, real-time audience input on stage.

Don't miss this candid conversation on life as an expat comedian, teaching improv, and hosting the monthly Laugh Out Proud queer comedy show.

Katie Nixon, Amsterdam, Chicago, Boom Chicago, doomscrolling, comedy, Comedian, Dam Yankee, entertainment, immigration, social media, United States, Donald Trump, anti-immigration, Illinois, Improv comedy, Chicago Improv, Second City, Improv Olympic, Political Comedy, Improv, Zack Newmark, Laugh Out Proud, ICE raids

New York comic Lucas Zelnick stops by the pod to discuss his not so humble upbringing, the origin story of his comedy club, and how he finally got good.

Zack Newmark is an Emmy winning journalist and the founder of NL Times. Dam Yankee is an NL Times production.

Created by: Zack Newmark and Peach Rizzo

Produced by: Peach Rizzo

Edited by: Marcus Engel

Daria Khozhai is a Ukrainian interdisciplinary artist and architect. She stopped by the pod to explain how she uses art as a coping mechanism, why she will never make work for clients, and how so much of her life as an artist is just like any other job.

Zack Newmark is an Emmy winning journalist and the founder of NL Times. Dam Yankee is an NL Times production.

Created by: Zack Newmark and Peach Rizzo

Produced by: Peach Rizzo

Edited by: Marcus Engel

Stacey Smith is a musical improvisor and mainstage cast member at Boom Chicago.  The performer sat down to discuss improvising through grief, how performing comedy makes everyone a better person, and what is was like to live and work on cruise ships in her twenties.

To follow all of her upcoming shows, follow Stacey on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/staceysmithcomedy/

Zack Newmark is an Emmy winning journalist and the founder of NL Times. Dam Yankee is an NL Times production.

Created by: Zack Newmark and Peach Rizzo

Produced by: Peach Rizzo

Edited by: Marcus Engel

Constantine Allen is a principal dancer with the Dutch Nationale Ballet.  The performer sat down to discuss ballet boarding school, what ballet dancers do during their off-days, and the life he's already gaming out after retirement from the dance world.

To find out where Allen is performing this summer, check out his instagram page @constantineallen. 

Zack Newmark is an Emmy winning journalist and the founder of NL Times. Dam Yankee is an NL Times production.

Created by: Zack Newmark and Peach Rizzo

Produced by: Peach Rizzo

Edited by: Marcus Engel

Photographer Wesley Verhoeve joins Zack Newmark on the show this week! Verhoeve geeks out on cameras from the 60s, talks about growing up surrounded by art books, and explains his lack of formal training.

If you’d like to see his photos in real life, his new exhibition at the Photo Festival Naarden will run through July 6th. Tickets can be purchased for 9.75 euros at https://www.eventim.nl/noapp/eventseries/3887857?affiliate=AG1

Zack Newmark is an Emmy winning journalist and the founder of NL Times. Dam Yankee is an NL Times production.

Created by: Zack Newmark and Peach Rizzo

Produced by: Peach Rizzo

Edited by: Marcus Engel

TikTok comedian Morgan Jay joins Zack Newmark on the show this week! Jay gets political, reveals that pop star Megan Trainer was a plant in his crowd once, and hints at the television plans he has cooking up.

Tickets can be purchased for his performances in the United Arab Emirates, Brazil, and the U.S. between 10 - 175 euro respectively depending on the location: https://morganjay.com/

Zack Newmark is an Emmy winning journalist and the founder of NL Times. Dam Yankee is an NL Times production.

Created by: Zack Newmark and Peach Rizzo

Produced by: Peach Rizzo

Edited by: Marcus Engel

Movie star Minne Koole joins Zack Newmark on the show this week! Koole discusses the diversity in theater culture around the world, developing panic attacks on stage, and growing up in a creative family.

Information about his upcoming theater performances can be here: https://ita.nl/nl/voorstellingen/weg-met-eddy-bellegueule/3886968/?gad_source=1&gad_campaignid=15625554690&gbraid=0AAAAADo45ZLDaxlcf4x7W5oPS5ghcLdR0&gclid=Cj0KCQjwuvrBBhDcARIsAKRrkjc96PZKpt6r_r6PoBhHgRca2tD8vJ2UwrU84maO0OVf6_LdBYPlpkEaAoPmEALw_wcB#tickets

Zack Newmark is an Emmy winning journalist and the founder of NL Times. Dam Yankee is an NL Times production.

Created by: Zack Newmark and Peach Rizzo

Produced by: Peach Rizzo

Edited by: Marcus Engel

Canadian mezzo-soprano Martina Myskholid joins Zack Newmark on the show this week! Verveer  discusses moving on from the Dutch National Opera, how she found her voice, and how we can get young people to care about the opera.

Information about her upcoming performances can be found on her website: https://www.martinamyskohlid.com/schedule

Zack Newmark is an Emmy winning journalist and the founder of NL Times. Dam Yankee is an NL Times production.

Created by: Zack Newmark and Peach Rizzo

Produced by: Peach Rizzo

Edited by: Marcus Engel