It's a funny thing.

Last night, my husband and I went to see comedians Maria Bamford and Jackie Kashian at the Paramount Theatre in Denver. Predictably, it was a fabulous show.

Here's how I know about Jackie Kashian. Somehow, many moons ago, I discovered a podcast called The Jackie and Laurie Show, and I've listened to every. Single. Episode. It's hosted by comedians Jackie Kashian and Laurie Kilmartin (who are my age), and they talk comedy shop—in a very engaging and funny way.

Stand-up has a special place in my heart, as I used to do it myself. I participated in my first open-mic night at Catch a Rising Star in Cambridge, Massachusetts, in December 1989, and proceeded to get on stage as often as I possibly could for the next couple of years. Until my day job at an advertising agency got serious, and I got engaged, and there really wasn't much room in my life for stand-up anymore.

Excuses, excuses. Jackie Kashian and Laurie Kilmartin would never let anything get in the way of their stand-up careers. Not day jobs, not relationships, not even—in Laurie's case—motherhood. These dynamos have remained steadfast, dedicated, and indefatigable, jumping on every possible second of stage time and using it to hone their craft.

And it's paid off. Today, Laurie is a writer for Conan; she recently produced a comedy special called 45 Jokes about My Dead Dad; and she has written the books Shitty Mom and Dead People Suck. Jackie recently performed on Conan and at Carnegie Hall and hosts The Dork Forest podcast. Her latest CD is I Am Not the Hero of this Story. These are just a sampling of their accomplishments, however. Though they constantly berate themselves for not achieving enough, I'm here to tell you: they are successful.

So my fascination with Jackie and Laurie is multidimensional. I love to hear them talk about their professional struggles and successes, and I love to hear about the comedy world that I got a taste of so long ago, but that I left behind for those who really deserve to thrive in it.​