185. Ophira Eisenberg: Scars & Laughing Her Way to Happy Endings

Today’s interview kept us laughing nearly the entire time, and yet was deeply poignant as our guest shared her story of scars.  Ophira is a stand-up comedian, author, and story teller who has been lauded as one of the “top 10 comics that funny people find funny”.   Our attention was rapt as we listened to her many physical and emotional scars and how she has been able to create art, humor, and even happy endings from her life experiences. In today’s episode we explore: Ophira’s early days as the youngest of six children in Alberta, Canada in a family where telling jokes was their love language.  She speaks of two major events (one with a meat grinder) before the age of 10 that created deep scars on her body, and the ripples that these experiences had in her life. When she realized she was funny and decided to pursue a life as stand up comedian.  She shares the challenges of this career and the humanizing power of it which is what keeps her going. How her work doesn’t avoid showing her own vulnerability and talking about hard things, but why in the end she prefers to write the happy endings. Her most recent show “Scars” (which Kate saw live) and how the audience participation has become her favorite part. The diagnosis of breast cancer and how it brought more scars which was devastating because she thought she was done with scars on her body. Her future projects, the liminal space, and how she views life as a year to year sublet. Bio:   Ophira Eisenberg is a Canadian-born standup comedian, writer, and host. She hosted NPR’s comedy trivia show Ask Me Another for 9-years. She can be seen live, regularly headlining across the United States, Canada, and Europe delivering her unique blend of standup and storytelling to a loyal fan base of smart, irreverent comedy lovers. She has appeared on Comedy Central, This Week at The Comedy Cellar, Kevin Hart’s LOL Network, HBO’s Girls, Gotham Live, The Late Late Show, The Today Show, and VH-1. The New York Times called her a skilled comedian and storyteller with “bleakly stylish” humor. She was also selected as one of New York Magazine’s “Top 10 Comics that Funny People Find Funny,” and hailed by Forbes.com as one of the most engaging comics working today. Ophira is a regular host and teller with The Moth and her stories have been featured on The Moth Radio Hour and in two of The Moth’s best-selling collections, including the most recent New York Times Bestseller: How To Tell A Story: The Essential Guide to Memorable Storytelling from The Moth. She now lives in Brooklyn, NY where she is a fixture at New York City’s comedy clubs. She resides with her husband and son where she can regularly be seen drinking a ton of coffee.  Follow her at www.ophiraeisenberg.com. Past Episodes You Might Like with Kate & Betsy That Make You Laugh:   Episode 172: Reverend Sarah Goettsch: Unapologetic Episode 159: Cara Flynn: From Control Top Pantyhose to Mountain Climbing Episode 135: Mandy Fabian: Fiercely Feminine Director Episode 103: Lyz Lenz: This American Ex-Wife Episode 77: Barbie: Getting Out of the Box Today’s Episode sponsored by: The Local Hub Kate Moreland Coaching Dr Yoga Momma Heartland Yoga Want to go on retreat?  Want to join Betsy in Costa Rica in May 2026 at her favorite retreat center to help you reorganize your inner space using yoga, meditation, energy medicine, and hypnosis?  All the details here! To join the Tend Her 4.0 Course on Hope (It’s Free!), visit here: https://dryogamomma.com/tend-her-4-0-hope/ Source