Savannah James and April McDaniel on Why ‘Everybody’s Crazy’ Is the Reality Check We All Need

In a world where carefully curated social media feeds make everyone’s life seem perfect, Savannah James and April McDaniel are here with a refreshing reality check: everybody’s crazy. Their Dear Media podcast Everybody’s Crazy just kicked off its new season after a four-month hiatus, and the title pretty much sums up their refreshingly blunt take on modern life.

If you’re not familiar with the pair, Savannah James isn’t just the wife of NBA superstar LeBron James—she’s a formidable entrepreneur and philanthropist in her own right. The Akron native has built a reputation for staying remarkably grounded despite living in the spotlight, focusing on ventures that blend style with substance, including her newly launched skin care brand, Reframe Beauty and Let It Break, the community-focused initiative she co-founded with McDaniel to help women break through personal barriers.

April McDaniel, meanwhile, has built an impressive career as a creative director and marketing strategist, working behind the scenes with major brands like Google, Adidas, and L’Oréal. She is the founder and CEO of Crown + Conquer, a woman-owned agency known for what she describes as “fearless creativity and cultural impact.” She’s the kind of person who has a million ideas before breakfast and somehow makes half of them happen by dinner, with an energy that makes you wonder what’s in her morning coffee.

They met in Los Angeles about ten years ago through work connections, and what could have been just another industry relationship turned into the kind of friendship where 2 a.m. phone calls about life crises are not just accepted but expected. Despite living noticeably different lives—James with three kids and the spotlight that comes with the James name, McDaniel building her agency while mostly avoiding public attention—they found they were asking the same questions about the absurdity of modern existence.

“We started this podcast because we have a lot of download at the end of the night,” James explains, leaning forward in her chair during our interview. “The downloads that we would have with each other, we would always say, ‘this is so crazy.’ So there has to be other people dealing with this. We cannot be the only ones.”

The podcast began with a level of scrappiness that would make any startup founder proud. “We bought a burner phone in Crenshaw,” McDaniel says, cracking up at the memory. “It was like a drug dealer phone basically. And that was what we originally posted on Instagram.” They would literally hold the phone up to their microphone to capture both sides of the conversation—a makeshift approach that somehow worked perfectly for what they were trying to create.

For McDaniel, the show started as a reality check. “I think it was kind of a test to see if we were crazy, to be honest. Or is everybody else crazy too?” Based on their growing listener base, the answer is clear: we’re all a little unhinged.

Unlike other advice-focused podcasts, James and McDaniel are careful not to position themselves as all-knowing gurus. “I hate to use the word advice,” McDaniel says, choosing her words carefully, “because advice sometimes people believe it’s given and you have to take it. The reality is people can give you perspective, and then you can marry that with your perspective and do what’s best for you.”

James nods in agreement. “I think it gives a sense of reality, like this is real life,” she says. “It’s not scripted. We don’t ask people to call in. It just kind of happens. So it’s real, whether it’s good or funny or if it’s bad and people are really having a tough time.”

The season premiere showcases their unfiltered dynamic perfectly. Within minutes, they’re openly discussing their radically different approaches to anxiety and preparation. While McDaniel has what she calls “organized anxiety” that drives her to over-prepare for everything, James admits she tends to “shut down” when anxious. “When I get anxious, I’m not doing nothing. I’m done,” she confesses.

Their on-mic chemistry reveals a telling contrast in how they approach public life. James, who’s had cameras following her since she was a teenager dating LeBron, seems completely unfazed by the microphones (“You turn the camera on, I’m like, ‘What’s up? Hey!'”). McDaniel, despite running a successful creative agency, still gets the jitters. “I’ve spent most of my career and my life being behind the scenes intentionally,” she admits. “Don’t film me, don’t get me.”

Yet somehow the combination works. “The only reason I can do it is because of her,” McDaniel says, pointing to James. “It’s who you’re sitting with and the comfort level that you have.”

Beyond the podcast, they’ve created Let It Break, a community-driven initiative with a mission to help women reconnect with themselves through educational programming, foster meaningful connections, and tap into resources that support growth at every stage of life. It’s less about Instagram-worthy yoga retreats and trendy manifestation journals, and more like group therapy with friends who won’t judge you for showing up in sweatpants and not having your shit together.

In the podcast, McDaniel describes her role at Let It Break as “the Guinea pig” who’s “doing all this shit, all the holistic shit, crazy shit, want to go to India and cry,” while James “will dip her toe and be like, ‘All right, I’ll come. Let me see.'”

This willingness to try things out and report back—successes and failures included—gives their advice (sorry, “perspective”) real weight. The first episode of the new season reveals both hosts processing major life transitions, with McDaniel describing herself as being “in the birthing canal and it’s squeezing me very tight,” while James mentions “stepping way outside my comfort zone” with the new projects she’s tackling.

Their friendship has somehow survived the transition to business partners—a feat that deserves recognition on its own. James brings a levelheadedness that comes from years of watching the sports business from the inside, while McDaniel, with her agency background, throws creative darts at the board to see what sticks. Somehow they meet in the middle.

As they launch their new season with Dear Media, they’ve held firm to their original vision. “We didn’t want a space where people are giving out salacious advice or gossiping,” McDaniel says firmly. “That was one thing we were adamant about—just really being pure and being good humans, which I think people forget to do sometimes when money’s involved, success and power.”

While they’re game for most topics, McDaniel has one request for the new season: “We get a lot of mom questions. I’d like to see less of that.” James raises an eyebrow, prompting McDaniel’s deadpan response: “We’re trying to be hot girls. Can’t we live our best life?”

Their first episode of the new season is classic Everybody’s Crazy with callers sharing everything from bizarre food combinations (popcorn with ketchup, mustard, and peanut butter got a strong reaction) to dating struggles and school stress. Between calls, the hosts openly discuss what happiness means to them—for James, it’s when “everything is easy,” while McDaniel defines it as “feeling safe,” something she admits feels “very rare in this world.”

In a media landscape where everyone claims to be authentic while clearly running their responses through seven layers of PR approval, the Everybody’s Crazy podcast feels like eavesdropping on a conversation between two friends who genuinely don’t care if you think they have it all figured out—because they definitely don’t. As McDaniel puts it, “We can give our experience,” but ultimately, “it all starts with you.”

The debut episode of the new season of Everybody’s Crazy is streaming now, wherever you get your podcasts.