Try Hard – Details, episodes & analysis

Podcast details

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Try Hard

Alex Sujong Laughlin

Education

Frequency: 1 episode/24d. Total Eps: 18

Alex Sujong Laughlin has conversations with people about the ways they're redefining themselves, from major life changes to picking up new hobbies.

Be a try hard. We double dog dare you.

Created by Alex Sujong Laughlin and Defector Media.

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Apple Podcasts

🇨🇦 Canada - selfImprovement
20/08/2026
#54
🇨🇦 Canada - selfImprovement
19/08/2026
#35
🇨🇦 Canada - education
19/08/2026
#65
🇨🇦 Canada - selfImprovement
18/08/2026
#44
🇨🇦 Canada - education
18/08/2026
#80
🇨🇦 Canada - selfImprovement
17/08/2026
#47
🇨🇦 Canada - education
17/08/2026
#89
🇨🇦 Canada - selfImprovement
16/08/2026
#53
🇨🇦 Canada - selfImprovement
15/08/2026
#36
🇨🇦 Canada - education
15/08/2026
#70

Spotify

No recent rankings available

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https://www.instagram.com/alexlaughs
29 shares

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RSS feed quality

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Score global : 63%

Publication history

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Welcome to Try Hard

Monday, July 14, 2025 • Duration 01:07

If there’s no shame in trying, why is it so hard?

On Try Hard, Alex Sujong Laughlin helps people try the thing they've always wanted to do—from cartwheels to karaoke.

First episode publishes July 28!

Thank you to Charley Locke, Lilli Grace Barden, Yuli, and Juliana de Groot for lending your voices.

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Mattie Lubchansky Takes a Yoga Class

Season 1 · Episode 1

Monday, July 28, 2025 • Duration 31:35

Cartoonist Mattie Lubchansky hates exercising in front of people, so in this first episode of Try Hard, she's trying out a real life yoga class full of real life strangers!

By the way, you should buy Mattie's new book, Simplicity!

Episode transcript here.

Send me voice memos about the things YOU'RE trying at podcasts@defector.com, or you can message me or tag me on Instagram @alexlaughs.

Try Hard is hosted and produced by Alex Sujong Laughlin. Editorial and production support from Audrey Mardavich, Tom Ley, and Jae Towle Vieira. Justin Ellis is Defector's projects editor. Mixing by Samantha Gattsek. Our show art is by Lille Allen and our theme song is "Photo Booth" by Avery Friedman.

Try Hard is a proud member of Radiotopia.

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Erika Casupanan Sings in Public

Season 1 · Episode 2

Monday, August 11, 2025 • Duration 36:37

Erika spent her life being the person she thought she "should" be. It turns out that doing her own thing doesn't rock the world the way she thinks it will. It's actually pretty cool.

Check out Erika's podcast, Happy to See Me.
Episode transcript here.

Send me voice memos about the things YOU'RE trying at podcasts@defector.com, or you can message me or tag me on Instagram @alexlaughs.

Try Hard is hosted and produced by Alex Sujong Laughlin. Editorial and production support from Audrey Mardavich, Tom Ley, and Jae Towle Vieira. Justin Ellis is Defector's projects editor. Mixing by Samantha Gattsek. Our show art is by Lille Allen and our theme song is "Photo Booth" by Avery Friedman.

Try Hard is a proud member of Radiotopia.

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Diana Moskovitz Rides a Bike

Season 1 · Episode 4

Monday, September 8, 2025 • Duration 26:54

Diana Moskovitz never learned to ride a bike when she was a child. Can she make her K-drama Han River bike riding dream come true?

Episode transcript here: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1CR1x7BM2vyw_t44kvnvXehKfZLjkTLbYgwQCid3vgEQ/edit?usp=sharing

Send me voice memos about the things YOU'RE trying at podcasts@defector.com, or you can message me or tag me on Instagram @alexlaughs. https://www.instagram.com/alexlaughs/

Try Hard is hosted and produced by Alex Sujong Laughlin. Editorial and production support from Audrey Mardavich, Tom Ley, and Jae Towle Vieira. Justin Ellis is Defector's projects editor. Mixing by Samantha Gattsek. Our show art is by Lille Allen and our theme song is "Photo Booth" by Avery Friedman.

Try Hard is a proud member of Radiotopia.

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Yowei Shaw Hosts a Party

Season 1 · Episode 3

Monday, August 25, 2025 • Duration 33:10

What happens when a wallflower tries to stand in the spotlight?

Check out Yowei's podcast, Proxy.

Episode transcript here: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1q866ZRKA_MsysRPo1QQlBBESRfIksmQeZNFmbS_DUOg/edit?usp=sharing

Send me voice memos about the things YOU'RE trying at podcasts@defector.com, or you can message me or tag me on Instagram @alexlaughs.

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Ceara Jane O'Sullivan Tries to Cartwheel

Season 1 · Episode 5

Monday, September 22, 2025 • Duration 31:08

Ceara Jane O'Sullivan takes a gymnastics class in an attempt to finally master the ultimate cool girl trick: the cartwheel.

Check out Ceara's podcast, Petty Crimes, here: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/petty-crimes/id1612693094

Episode transcript here: https://docs.google.com/document/d/10zWovNgFBG7w9b41zkZ5Fs95LX6uhj6y5UHykd0URIU/edit?usp=sharing

Send me voice memos about the things YOU'RE trying at podcasts@defector.com, or you can message me or tag me on Instagram @alexlaughs. https://www.instagram.com/alexlaughs/

Try Hard is hosted and produced by Alex Sujong Laughlin. Editorial and production support from Audrey Mardavich, Tom Ley, and Jae Towle Vieira. Justin Ellis is Defector's projects editor. Mixing by Samantha Gattsek. Our show art is by Lille Allen and our theme song is "Photo Booth" by Avery Friedman.

Try Hard is a proud member of Radiotopia.

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Sabrina Imbler Goes Hunting

Season 1 · Episode 6

Monday, October 6, 2025 • Duration 39:19

Sabrina Imbler is afraid of bugs, but they are working on a book about bugs. What to do?! In this episode, they attempt to catch and pin dragonflies.

Episode transcript here: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1Zyi-6wY81SosLtcs1y0vZXufOcFwobddFQMCeO7NHzc/edit?usp=sharing

Send me voice memos about the things YOU'RE trying at podcasts@defector.com, or you can message me or tag me on Instagram @alexlaughs. https://www.instagram.com/alexlaughs/

Try Hard is hosted and produced by Alex Sujong Laughlin. Editorial and production support from Audrey Mardavich, Tom Ley, and Jae Towle Vieira. Justin Ellis is Defector's projects editor. Mixing by Samantha Gattsek. Our show art is by Lille Allen and our theme song is "Photo Booth" by Avery Friedman.

Try Hard is a proud member of Radiotopia.

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Anna Sale on how motherhood redefined her ambition | Try Hard Podcast | Defector Media

Season 2 · Episode 3

Monday, July 13, 2026 • Duration 36:25

Alex Sujong Laughlin talks to Death Sex & Money host Anna Sale about how becoming a parent affected her professional ambition.

Episode transcript here: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1DaTLT55h4dNUsdkSrrDyXnAArDDml0Y1rDi1uLRY8GI/edit?usp=sharing

🏷️: Anna Sale, Death Sex and Money, ambition, motherhood, parenthood, matresence, girlboss feminism, Alex Sujong Laughin, Try Hard podcast, starting over, navigating transition, creative burnout

***

Follow Alex Sujong Laughlin on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/alexlaughs/

Email Alex: alex[at]defector.com

Subscribe to Defector Media: https://defector.com/

Check out Try Hard on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL6OAiTsWXSBt7KlW7unuJPGXad4P5x6va

***

Credits:

This show is produced by Haleema Shah and Alex Sujong Laughlin. Mixing by Samantha Gattsek. Justin Ellis is Defector’s projects editor. Our show art is by Lille Allen. Our theme song is “Photo Booth,” by Avery Friedman. Jasper Wang is Defector’s business guy. Thank you to the Defector staff and to Sean Kuhn. Our merch store was created by Dan McQuade. Defector Media is a collectively owned, subscriber based media company. Try Hard is a proud member of Radiotopia.

Why is it so hard to make friends as an adult?

Season 2 · Episode 2

Monday, June 29, 2026 • Duration 39:24

Alex Sujong Laughlin talks to Aaron Edwards about how he's learned to make friends as an adult.

Episode transcript here: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1GiG2tM-BxxQiE4mM4fDrtq7CWrTBaU3UBSHS4g_3j-8/edit?usp=sharing

🏷️: making friends, making friends as an adult, cringe, meetups, rejection, ghosting, introversion, introverts, Aaron Edwards, Upstate Color, Kingston, Alex Sujong Laughin, Try Hard podcast, starting over, navigating transition, creative burnout

***

Follow Alex Sujong Laughlin on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/alexlaughs/

Email Alex: alex[at]defector.com

Subscribe to Defector Media: https://defector.com/

Check out Try Hard on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL6OAiTsWXSBt7KlW7unuJPGXad4P5x6va

***

Credits:

This show is produced by Haleema Shah and Alex Sujong Laughlin. Mixing by Samantha Gattsek. Justin Ellis is Defector’s projects editor. Our show art is by Lille Allen. Our theme song is “Photo Booth,” by Avery Friedman. Jasper Wang is Defector’s business guy. Thank you to the Defector staff and to Sean Kuhn. Our merch store was created by Dan McQuade. Defector Media is a collectively owned, subscriber based media company. Try Hard is a proud member of Radiotopia.

Why Ingrid Nilsen quit YouTube at 3M subscribers

Season 2 · Episode 2

Monday, June 15, 2026 • Duration 40:43

Ingrid Nilsen was one of the most followed YouTubers ever, but in 2020, she walked away from her influencing career to try something new. In this episode, Alex Sujong Laughlin talks to Ingrid about her decision to quit influencing and how that led to the creation of her candle and fragrance company, The New Savant.

Episode transcript here: https://docs.google.com/document/d/16C3QO_2Dc0xCfLgoxnFD2XmcHU0hL0_4aylVf85oejk/edit?usp=sharing

🏷️: Ingrid Nilsen, Erica Anderson, The New Savant, youtubers, youtube, lifestyle, creators, vlogmas, influencers, small business, starting a business, candles, candle company, early influencers, covergirl, Alex Sujong Laughin, Try Hard podcast, starting over, navigating transition, creative burnout

***

Follow Alex Sujong Laughlin on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/alexlaughs/

Email Alex: alex[at]defector.com

Subscribe to Defector Media: https://defector.com/

Check out Try Hard in audio form: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/try-hard/id1824016771

***

Credits:

This show is produced by Haleema Shah and Alex Sujong Laughlin. Mixing by Samantha Gattsek. Justin Ellis is Defector’s projects editor. Our show art is by Lille Allen. Our theme song is “Photo Booth,” by Avery Friedman. Jasper Wang is Defector’s business guy. Thank you to the Defector staff and to Sean Kuhn. Our merch store was created by Dan McQuade. Defector Media is a collectively owned, subscriber based media company. Try Hard is a proud member of Radiotopia.