I owe it all to Tim Gunn.

On a cold January afternoon in 2015, I went to Tim’s apartment in New York City to interview him for a piece I was writing for The New York Times. It was a short piece—maybe 700 words about his typical Sunday routine. All I really needed was a rundown on when he wakes up, what he does all day, where he goes, what he eats, his bedtime routine, that sort of thing.

When we sat down in his living room (which was impeccably decorated, naturally), we really got into it. Not only did he describe his favorite Sunday attire (a suit), activity (The Metropolitan Museum of Art), and cocktail (Manhattan), but we found ourselves talking about everything from the fashion industry’s elitist habits to his real feelings about the Project Runway judges, his mother’s death, his relationship with his sister, his Thanksgiving ritual, and why receiving gifts makes him cringe. We drank coffee and ate brownie bites. He showed me his Emmy and his pjs. It was sublime.

Three hours later, I walked out of Tim’s place—fully alive, 100% myself, endorphins coursing through my body. This was my thing. Deeply authentic, honest, fun, sad, meandering conversations and genuine connection was what I was made for.

When I got home, I reminded myself I could fit maybe 7-8 tiny pieces of what Tim told me that day in my short newspaper piece. So about 10 minutes. Of our three delicious hours. But que será, será.

And then, as I recounted my most fabulous experience with Tim to my husband, Dave, he said quite simply, “You should do a podcast.” (An early adopter of podcasts, Dave had gotten me hooked a few years earlier. But until that day, I never dreamed of hosting one.) With no limit on what my guests and I talk about or how long we talk, our natural connection and conversation—not just snippets and sound bites—would be there for everyone to enjoy. Brilliant!

So that was that.

After a year or two of perusing the idea, I hit the ground running. A couple of months of research, some basic equipment, and a name (Really Famous: I interview famous people, but I’m looking for the real person)—and I was on my way.

In 2017, Really Famous was launched.

My first guest? Tim Gunn.