We’re thrilled to welcome back to Columbia Courtney Kocak, an alum of Stephens College, to discuss her fabulous (and newly published) memoir, Girl Gone Wild. The book is an unwitting feminist coming-of-age that traces Courtney’s path from a small-town upbringing to earning a BFA at Stephens College to chasing big dreams in Hollywood—and encountering its underbelly, including an uncomfortable chapter selling T-shirts on the Girls Gone Wild tour.

GIRL GONE WILD is a collection of exploits and delusions about chasing your dreams with reckless abandon and what happens when their pursuit becomes a new kind of trap. In this memoir-in-essays, Kocak takes readers along on her heady metamorphosis from girl to woman and from dreamer to professional artist. It's a wild, cringeworthy, and often heartbreaking tale, but with Kocak's wry wit and clear-eyed accounting, it's nothing short of captivating.

Courtney Kocak is a writer, podcaster, and comedian who splits time between Austin and Los Angeles. She's a Stephen College alum and went on to write for Amazon’s Emmy-winning animated series Danger & Eggs and Netflix’s Know It All. She’s produced a slew of highly-ranked podcasts and currently hosts three of her own with over two million downloads to date: Private Parts Unknown, about love and sexuality around the world, The Bleeders, about book writing and publishing, and Podcast Bestie, a best friend to podcasters trying to grow and monetize their shows (and a popular Substack). Her bylines include The New York Times, The Cut, The Washington Post, The Los Angeles Times, Cosmopolitan, Slate, and more. Her debut memoir, Girl Gone Wild, with Trio House Press, was released April 1, 2026!