{"podcast":{"title":"Origin Story with David McIntosh Jr","slug":"origin-story-with-david-mcintosh-jr-3513969","podcast_index_feed_id":3513969,"rss_url":"https://anchor.fm/s/3eabacdc/podcast/rss","website_url":"https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/davidmcintoshjr","image_url":"https://d3t3ozftmdmh3i.cloudfront.net/staging/podcast_uploaded_nologo/10414383/10414383-1764875278833-e2c428c305adf.jpg","author":"David McIntosh Jr","episode_count":154,"summary":"Sharing Origin Stories. Guests include Jimmy Carr, Seth Godin, Example, Founder of Reebok, Rory Sutherland and 100+ more.","last_synced_at":null,"page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/origin-story-with-david-mcintosh-jr-3513969"},"episode":{"title":"#137 Iryna Gil: Escaping Ukraine: A Comedian's War Story","slug":"137-iryna-gil-escaping-ukraine-a-comedian-s-war-story","published_at":"2025-07-18T06:01:00+00:00","page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/origin-story-with-david-mcintosh-jr-3513969/137-iryna-gil-escaping-ukraine-a-comedian-s-war-story","show_page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/origin-story-with-david-mcintosh-jr-3513969","url":"https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/davidmcintoshjr/episodes/137-Iryna-Gil-Escaping-Ukraine-A-Comedians-War-Story-e35hsvv","audio_url":"https://traffic.megaphone.fm/APO8295785515.mp3","summary":"In this raw, wide-ranging interview, Ukrainian stand-up comic Iryna Gil tells the story of how her rising comedy career collided with Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine just 11 days after she filmed her first special — and how she’s using comedy to challenge war fatigue, weaponised headlines, and Western apathy. WHAT YOU’LL LEARN Kyiv under fire: A first-hand account of air-raid sirens, evacuations, and working through missile strikes The Soviet shadow: How post-Soviet distrust fuels Ukraine’s self-organising spirit, entrepreneurial drive, and digital-first approach to governance. Comedy as translation: How Gil uses humour to bridge the empathy gap and make the war relatable to those far removed from it. Misleading headlines: What “billions in aid” actually looks like and why surface-level stats breed hostility and misinformation. Peace through deterrence: Iryna’s uncompromising vision for peace in strength TIMESTAMPS 00:00 Botox for Burping – the weirdest opening ever 01:13 Meet Iryna Gil 02:45 Growing up in post-Soviet Ukraine 10:13 Starting stand-up in Kyiv 14:18 Ukraine’s hustle culture and distrust of government 21:04 24 Feb 2022: missiles hit Kyiv 28:54 Leaving home under fire 32:10 Zoom calls from bomb shelters and hiding behind two walls 39:47 Losing safety, leaving Kyiv 43:52 Starting over in Scotland 48:45 Grieving a life left behind 50:38 Comedy, trauma, and fighter jets 53:55 What "billions in aid" actually means 57:00 The real cost of headlines and public perception 1:01:48 Has Ukraine faded from public attention? 1:04:32 Genocide Olympics and comparative advocacy 1:05:38 What peace really looks like 1:06:47 Closing thanks LINKS Follow Iryna Gil – https://www.instagram.com/gil_iryna Follow David – https://www.instagram.com/davidmcintoshjr Su…","meta_description":"In this raw, wide-ranging interview, Ukrainian stand-up comic Iryna Gil tells the story of how her rising comedy career collided with Russia’s full-scale…","key_points":[],"chapters":[],"topics":[],"duration_seconds":4008,"processing_state":"not_requested","actions":[{"name":"request_transcript","method":"POST","url":"https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/origin-story-with-david-mcintosh-jr-3513969/episodes/137-iryna-gil-escaping-ukraine-a-comedian-s-war-story/transcription-requests","description":"Idempotently request low-priority transcript generation for this episode."},{"name":"read_markdown","method":"GET","url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/origin-story-with-david-mcintosh-jr-3513969/137-iryna-gil-escaping-ukraine-a-comedian-s-war-story.md","description":"Read the agent-friendly Markdown representation of this episode resource."}]}}