Kelly Corrigan Wonders: Recent Episodes
Kelly Corrigan
Welcome to Kelly Corrigan Wonders, a place for people who like to laugh while they think and find it useful to look closely at ourselves and our weird ways in the hopes that knowing more and feeling more will help us do more and be better. A former newspaper columnist and four time bestselling author, Kelly wonders about loads of stuff: is knowing more always good? Can we trust our gut? How does change actually happen? We only book nice people who have a sense of humor and know things worth knowing. Each episode ends with Kelly’s shortlist of takeaways, appropriate for refrigerator doors, bulletin boards and notes to your children.
Rainn Wilson (who you might know as Dwight Schrute) is making a serious call for a spiritual revolution based on joy, acts of service and being honest about our mixed natures. This is a conversation to share with anyone who is thinking seriously about how to elevate matters of the soul over the clang and bang of the modern world. Or maybe just someone who needs a laugh.
This conversation was recorded at Aspen Ideas Festival before the SAG-AFTRA strike.
When her daughter Zoe was departing for college, Shelley Russell wrote her this gorgeous, poetic (and funny) letter. It honors all that the two shared as mother and daughter living under the same roof and offers loving acceptance for all that is yet to come.
In large and small ways, mattering is essential. Self esteem depends on our ability to contribute to the lives around us. You may know Jennifer B. Wallace from her stints on morning television or her journalism in the Wall Street Journal and The Washington Post. She and Kelly discuss her first book: Never Enough: When Achievement Culture Becomes Toxic—And What We Can Do About It.
Nancy Brown, a military spouse of 19 years, wrote this loving tribute for her two best deployment buddies. It honors the way the three friends formed one great big family while living through several deployments in Eastern North Carolina. Three women, no husbands and nine children all dressed in each other's hand-me-downs. On paper, they were more different than alike but maybe that's a more accurate description of a family after all.
Food for thought on America Ferrera’s speech at the climax of Barbie, informed by the great Jia Tolentino (a former guest who I found totally fascinating and original) and her book Trick Mirror. Let us never forget that we are a product of our culture. Please share, especially with the younger generation working to figure out who they are.
First up, a conversation with Katie Couric, who has been in the media business for 40 some years now in a variety of roles, who has a really honed perspective on where we are, how we got here, and where we might try to get to next. After Katie, a discussion with Neal Katyal, a Georgetown law professor who has argued in front of the Supreme Court. Between Neil and Katie, we hope we come to a set of understandings about this moment in American public life and what we might hope for and work towards next. (Replay of Ep 118 which originally aired on 12/13/22).
It’s often the little things in life that help us to get through the day: a cup of tea in the morning, gardening, puttering around the house and moving shoes, books and empty glasses back where they belong. We all have things which help us to stay grounded in the midst of a world that feels more crazy and frightening by the day. Stefanie Wass submitted her essay, “Chicken Soup for the Soul”, to share a soothing ritual which she has found gives her great comfort.
Play this one on repeat. Share widely. Michelle Icard tells me that kids have rights (okay) and these are they.
From Michelle’s book 8 Setbacks That Can Make a Child A Success, available August 22, 2023.
Based on her invaluable playbook for anxious parents everywhere, Michelle Icard thinks with Kelly about mistakes and making sure that rebellions don’t become the headline of our kids’ childhoods, but rather a jumping off point. This is a conversation to save us all from the overreactions and regrets that stymie growth.
Warning: this episode includes a brief discussion of suicide.
Lauren Pauls wrote this tribute to honor her beloved grandmother Gigi. It’s a meditation on her grandma’s hands - hands that worked in the garden, splashed in the neighborhood pool with her grandkids, sewed matching jumpers for the youngest family members and played piano with gusto. Lauren’s grandma’s hands were never idle - they were those of a female warrior.
Another installment of Kelly’s “Existential Game Show - This is Your Life, What Are You Doing With It?” , recorded at the Aspen Ideas Festival, featuring advocate Alexandra Reeve Givens. Alexandra tells Kelly about the influence her late father, actor turned activist, Christopher Reeve had on her and also opens up about doing an accountability check each day, who she answers to and transforming envy in order to harness it for good.
Special thanks to the Aspen Ideas Festival, Tricia Johnson and Kara Stein.
When one of her therapy patients said to Dr. Samantha Boardman, “All we ever do is talk about stuff that's going wrong in my life - and we don't talk about much else", it inspired a change in the way she approached her practice and eventually inspired her to write Everyday Vitality: Turning Stress into Strength.
Based on 15 years of experience as a psychiatrist, Samantha gives Kelly some practical, achievable strategies that are life-enhancing and resilience-building. No more rehashing the past and what went wrong in an effort to find a sense of well-being - the better strategy is to cultivate vitality and transform each new day into a more fulfilling one.
This essay has never before been shared outside of Julia Ogden’s family but fortunately for us, she has decided to share it with the Thanks For Being Here audience. It’s a look at her daughter’s OCD diagnosis and how managing a mental illness has challenged and changed their entire family - including in some unexpected and very positive ways.
Kelly continues her “Existential Game Show” recorded live at the Aspen Ideas Festival and puts Braver Angels’ Monica Guzman in the hot seat. Monica digs deep to answer Kelly’s questions and touches on how her infant son’s brain surgery transformed her and her family into the people they needed to be in that difficult moment, the motivating force of envy and being responsible ultimately to herself.
Special thanks to the Aspen Ideas Festival, Tricia Johnson and Kara Stein.
We all agree there is work to be done, smart solution-oriented moves to be made for the benefit of all. But who will do it? Who will walk away from richer paths and devote their life to growing businesses that operate for the greater good? Jacqueline Novogratz will. This is one of the quickest and most passionate people I’ve met in a long time. She has 20+ years of experience working with entrepreneurs across the world. This conversation is her take on the how and why of making big bold moves.
Every town needs someone like Peter Samson - the person who gives his or her all so that kids in the community can have a fun and safe outlet, a place to play sports, meet friends and learn some of life’s biggest lessons. Today’s episode features a eulogy written by Jack Brennan for his friend Peter Samson. Peter was as loyal and committed as they come and started a lacrosse league for boys 30 years ago in the community where Kelly grew up. He was beloved by those who knew him and his legacy lives on through countless kids and families who were the beneficiaries of his devotion and generosity of spirit.
Kelly moderated a live panel event at the Aspen Ideas Festival with fantastic guests including Miroslav Volf, Monica Guzman, James Ijames, Alexandra Reeve-Givens and Rainn Wilson. Using questions from the book Life Worth Living, Kelly created a game-show format and put each of her guests in the hot-seat - resulting in some very honest, thought-provoking and funny responses. Today’s episode features deep truths from the creator of Broadway’s brilliant smash hit Fat Ham, playwright James Ijames.
Special thanks to the Aspen Ideas Festival, Tricia Johnson and Kara Stein.
This event was recorded in June 2023, prior to the SAG-AFTRA strike.
Timothy Goodman has made a great life for himself doing large format art projects like, say, making a basketball court for Kevin Durant, or small format masterpieces like a shoe for Nike, or the most personal work, a graphic memoir called I Always Think It’s Forever. He smiles when he talks and is unusually candid and I loved being with him so much I followed him home to meet his girlfriend and see his studio and basically try to cement our new friendship. This is for the people who have creative hearts and the people who love those creatives.
Moira O’Connor submitted this 2-part eulogy written and originally read by her nephews Jonathan and Jamie to honor her dad/their grandfather, George Hebbel. George was the father of 5, grandfather of 13, and great grandfather of 14. He was a man who was larger than life: a fighter pilot, a water skier who skied with a pipe casually clenched in his teeth, an ocean kayaker able to hoist his kayak on top of his Jeep well into his 80’s. However it was the smaller, quieter moments in George’s life that truly made him a legend: the many times he reached out to help someone in need, the situations in which he simply showed up, his ability to let others love him. He was a man who was always there for his family and friends, right up to the very end. (Replay of Ep 19 which originally aired on 6/10/22.)
Thanks to a brilliant TED talk by Baratunde Thurston, I’m thinking about how people tell the story of what’s happened. I also reached out to my neuroscientist friend Lisa Feldman Barrett to ask her about how the brain processes language. It all sounds very heady and it is, a little, but it’s also something worth thinking about since we live in language. (Replay of Ep 52 which originally aired on July 15, 2022)
With the demand for excellent mental health care at its all-time peak, it’s a good thing people like Tracy Defina dared to go back to school — for many years — to get a PhD in counseling. This is the story of how she pulled off this enormous achievement in the middle of life already teeming with to-dos.
My conversation with Tracy is the first of a 4-part series called How’d You Do That? With women who made radical changes to their lives well after most of their peers had settled into a given way of life. (Replay)
High school junior Clare Murphy wrote this touching, personal and evocative essay for a school assignment. It conveys incredible warmth and deep affection for a very special lake house and also the large, loving family that inhabits it each summer. (Replay of Ep 25 which originally aired on 7/31/22).
With our hearts in Ukraine, here’s a story to love about a group of caring people in San Francisco in a time of uncertainty who showed the world how to lean in. (Replay of Ep 38 which originally aired on 4/8/22).
Let’s say this: the number one driver of happiness across time and culture is meaningful connection to others. So how do you get it and how do you keep it? Dr. Helen Fisher has been studying love for 5 decades. 5. That’s a lot of information. Share this conversation with the people you love. Tons of takeaways that you can integrate immediately. (Replay of Ep 124 which originally aired in January 2023)
Take Helen’s personality quiz and figure out who you are…and who you aren’t.
Funding for this episode was provided by UC Berkeley's Greater Good Science Center as part of its "Expanding Awareness of the Science of Intellectual Humility" initiative, supported by the John Templeton Foundation
A touching eulogy for Walter Barry, written by his son Stewart (“Bear Bear"). This is a beautiful tale of family bonds, of three sons who loved to play sports (even inside the family home to a refrain of “Boys take it outside!”) and of a father who led with his heart and intuition. Walter Barry stuck to his guns even when his values and standards weren’t popular, brought joy with his humor, modeled hard work and humility and kept loving his sons, despite their “defects”.
Sometimes, the only way to figure out what truly makes a life worthwhile is to get out there and “do it”. Yale student Cooper Newsom wrote an essay,“The Great Human Road Race; Or, the Lost Virtue of Corniness” as his final paper in Yale’s Life Worth Living class and it’s a comedic look at how corny but ultimately fun, running a road race can be. Dancing to blaring music first thing in the morning, running in 45 degree weather with people from all walks of life, a celebratory beer at 8:45am - it’s the small things in life that help to create a big, beautiful life worth living.
In this final episode of our Life Worth Living series, Kelly reflects on some of her favorite book club moments with Claire Danes and Kate Bowler and offers takeaways and a list of practices to help us stay on track.
Based on Life Worth Living: A Guide to What Matters Most from authors Miroslav Volf, Matthew Croasmun and Ryan McAnnally-Linz. Visit lifeworthliving.com/kelly to access a study guide to help you work through the book. Special thanks to the Warren Smoot Carter III and Meagan Carter Charitable Fund.
Today’s Thanks For Being Here was submitted by Heather Hoskeer. It’s a poignant, beautifully-written essay called, “My Mom and Three Writers I Love” and it honors Heather’s mother, who she lost to Alzheimer’s disease.
Today’s For the Good of the Order is a speech that Kelly gave at Camp Kesem, a very special place that welcomes loss, friendship, sorrow and new beginnings equally. A place that shows us that we can be damaged and heavy-hearted, but still buoyant and insightful and very useful to one another.
Sadly, this is the last conversation with Claire Danes and Kate Bowler about what makes life worth all the trouble, worry and suffering. In this freewheeling ride, we dig into just how inevitable personal ethical failure is and therefore, what does repair require. Like, how good are you at apologizing? Have you really accepted the people you love — as they are — or are you still trying to change them? How do you keep yourself and your choices aligned with your values? Enjoy the honesty. Share widely. We all need to stay in touch with these fundamental questions about how we live.
Based on Life Worth Living: A Guide to What Matters Most from authors Miroslav Volf, Matthew Croasmun and Ryan McAnnally-Linz. Visit lifeworthliving.com/kelly to access a study guide to help you work through the book. Special thanks to the Warren Smoot Carter III and Meagan Carter Charitable Fund.
Amy Zuckerman shares a remembrance of her late father Harry “Wes” Westlund. Wes was a special man whose dream of becoming an Air Force fighter pilot was taken away just days before he was to receive his wings, due to a heart murmur. Amy says that although her dad lived his entire life under the threat of a heart defect, he had no issues at all with his capital “H” heart. He was a loving, caring and kind man who made all around him feel comfortable and welcome. Happy Father’s Day to the Westlund family as you honor and remember Wes and to all of our Thanks For Being Here listeners.
In this tender essay, Kelly traces her understanding of death from the day her goldfish died to the moment her father died. For everyone who will be missing someone on Father’s Day, this is for you. Please share.
Claire Danes, Kate Bowler and I try to figure out how the hell to live lives of real meaning and discovery, how to depersonalize the slings and arrows of any season, how to remember our agency and mobility.
Based on Life Worth Living: A Guide to What Matters Most from authors Miroslav Volf, Matthew Croasmun and Ryan McAnnally-Linz. Visit lifeworthliving.com/kelly to access a study guide to help you work through the book. Special thanks to the Warren Smoot Carter III and Meagan Carter Charitable Fund.
Writer Courtney Martin wrote this loving, humorous tribute to her mother for her 75th birthday. Along with detailing some of her mom’s quirks that used to drive her crazy (but which at age 43 she now appreciates), Courtney also lovingly describes her many incredible qualities.
I find the Axios Finish Line newsletter hugely useful. I read it every day without fail. With 2023 graduates in mind, and all the conversations we had on college campuses across the country this spring, let me share and riff on this Finish Line piece that talked about the core skills this class of kids will need going forward.
Axios: Sign up for newsletter here
Book I mentioned: The Alignment Problem
How do the values we inherited clash or complement the cultures we come of age in? How can we stay the right size in the world and in our own minds? What do you worship and nurture - art, the church, politics, food? Claire Danes and Kate Bowler join Kelly to talk about all the things that came up as they read Life Worth Living, our first Kelly Corrigan Wonders bookclub pick.
Based on Life Worth Living: A Guide to What Matters Most from authors Miroslav Volf, Matthew Croasmun and Ryan McAnnally-Linz. Visit lifeworthliving.com/kelly to access a study guide to help you work through the book. Special thanks to the Warren Smoot Carter III and Meagan Carter Charitable Fund.
This is the story of an oncologist named Amy who diagnosed herself with leukemia in her own lab and a stem cell donor named Brandon who stepped up to save her life. The chances of finding a perfect donor match are extremely small. The chances that the perfect donor would end up living only an hour away are astronomically small - and yet, these two very special people beat the odds in many ways. Anyone can sign up to save a life. To join the Gift of Life Marrow Registry, donors simply swab the inside of their cheeks and complete a registration questionnaire. Request your swab kit today at http://giftoflife.org/Swab
In a recent high school graduation speech, Kelly shared her take on the things only we know about ourselves and how keeping our internal dialog honest sets the table for a good and happy life. Please share with all the 2023 graduates in your life.
Welcome to the Kelly Corrigan Wonders “Life Worth Living” Book Club. This is the opening episode, where Kelly and the authors dig into the key questions driving this series: what’s worth doing, who are we responsible to, how should life feel, how should we deal with failures, and what can keep our values and our behavior aligned? Share this with the readers and thinkers in your life. The more people having this conversation, the better for all of us.
Based on Life Worth Living: A Guide to What Matters Most from authors Miroslav Volf, Matthew Croasmun and Ryan McAnnally-Linz. Visit lifeworthliving.com/kelly to access a study guide to help you work through the book. Special thanks to the Warren Smoot Carter III and Meagan Carter Charitable Fund.
Everyone who knows anything about well being recommends gratitude lists. It’s a way to taste the goodness twice and relishing what is rather than pining for what could, should or might be. So here’s Kelly’s. What’s yours?
Robin Roberts, who has been saying Good Morning America for decades now, has a few hard-earned lessons to share. She was in isolation for 174 days after a bone marrow transplant to save her life. She reported from Katrina only after searching the coast for her own family. She broke every barrier in journalism on her own terms. She personifies grit, which is why we had to bring Angela Duckworth into the conversation, to break down just how we all might nurture and sustain Robin’s perseverance and optimism. To watch this interview, go to PBS.org/kelly. Robin’s new book, Brighter by the Day, is available now. Replay of Episode #89.
What never fails to impress you? Kim Tully was asked this question at a meeting and in under 10 seconds, she came up with her answer: genuine people. People who are 100% themselves, 100% of the time. Kim’s friend Steph embodies this and today’s episode is a toast that Kim wrote to honor her. Kim says: “I respect her I admire her, I love her and I wish I was a little more like her. We can all learn from Steph to live a life that is deeper than an edited social media post or a filtered picture."
It’s here: the time of year when we mix it up with family. Good to keep a little forgiveness handy. This episode was made to share.
Dr. Waded Cruzado was the first person in her family to go to college. She loved it. She went on to get a PhD and move from Puerto Rico to — of all places — Bozeman Montana, where she is regarded in heroic terms. She is determined to show every kid in the state what’s possible around them and within them. Her favorite day of the year is commencement. She is inspired and inspiring in equal measures and we loved our time with her.
Pete Bidstrup wrote this heartfelt tribute to his dad Lawrence “Larry” Otto Bidstrup. Larry was a husband, father, grandfather, Marine, teacher, coach, mentor, athlete, fisherman and friend. He had a way of laughing at himself, almost never missed a day of work and was always there when he said he would be. He was most definitely the kind of man anyone would want their kid to have as a teacher or coach and after many years spent as a very successful wrestling coach, Larry had no issue at all when his own son Pete decided to play another sport. Larry “fought the good fight” and his currency was of the heart.
How do kids become adults who can give and receive feedback? Who approach problems from multiple angles as a matter of course? Who feel safe sharing failures and asking for help? Maybe one way is by taking a class from Dr. Zach Dodds, a computer science professor at Harvey Mudd College, who is as enthusiastic about education and supporting the next generation as anyone I have ever spent time with.
Lily Janas, now a student at Bowdoin College, wrote this stirring college admissions essay called “We Rise”. She sets the scene at 2am and goes on to describe one of the most impactful experiences of her young life. The story unfolds slowly, and Lily gives clues along the way but never fully reveals what she’s a part of - until the very end.
Kelly asks Dr. Ken Ginsburg, long time pediatrician, what to do about the ultimate fear.
Santa Barbara has one of the best community colleges in the country. Kelly and her producer Tammy spent a day on the campus of Santa Barbara City College sitting in on class and talking about books, poetry, identity and society with Dr. Clara Oropeza. She describes her own intellectual awakenings in a way that helps underline the real point of college.
Stephen Gallagher’s college essay takes a look at what could have just been a simple summer job but became so much more. It’s often a tough job, a demanding boss or an uncomfortable experience which shapes a person and changes the course of one’s life for the better.
Although this essay recounts a true story, the names of the participants have been changed.
The 4th of 5 quick check ins with Dr. Ken Ginsburg about the differences between unconditional love, unconditional like and unconditional acceptance of all behaviors. Made to be shared widely with the people you count on to help you manage — and enjoy — family life.
It’s easy for academia to become remote, unless you have a professor like Dr. Marcia Chatelain. She teaches history at Georgetown and spends a lot of her classroom minutes creating connections between way back then and right this minute and, as importantly, them and us. She is a Pulitzer Prize winner who isn’t afraid to claim her place as a Den Mother. For those reasons and more that you’ll hear, Marcia is one of our all-time favorite guests on Kelly Corrigan Wonders.
This moving essay was written by Ciara McAuliffe as her college admissions essay. Ciara writes about how as a kid she felt a terrific desire to control every facet of her life, which manifested in of all things, mowing the lawn with her dad. She could not help her dads’ drinking but in the mornings when they mowed together, he was sober. A beautiful essay revealing the struggle to let go.
Super interesting note from respected pediatrician and parenting guide Dr. Ken Ginsburg on using elements of our environment to start conversations with our kids. Be the edge of the pool, as they say. Share with all the hard-thinking parents in your circle.
Replay of Episode 73 from February 2022. With tenderness and optimism, Atul Gawande (author of Being Mortal, a must read) and Ai-jen Poo (who supports caregivers across the country) give us all a way to think about love, caregiving and facing mortality. To watch Kelly’s conversations with Atul and Ai-jen, go to www.pbs.org/kelly. If you love our pod, please give us a nice juicy 5 star rating. It takes about 2 seconds and helps lots of other people find us. Thanks.
Today’s submission is introduced in the episode as a eulogy but it’s actually an essay that writer, speaker and advocate Tracy Hargen wrote about her beloved dad Joe, shortly after he died in 2012. Tracy describes her dad as her “cheerleader, biggest fan, bear hugger, tear wiper and supporter of crazy ideas”. He had a big personality that filled every room he walked into and had a memorable, radio-worthy voice that Tracy got to capture and have forever when they did a StoryCorps interview together for NPR. As Tracy says, “May every child have the gift of loving parents who cherish them beyond words and believe in them beyond reason.”
2nd in a set of 5 mini-pods, Kelly talks to the country’s premiere expert in teenagers, Dr. Ken Ginsburg. This time, they talk about where and when it’s most productive to make rules and go to the mat enforcing them. Turns out, she had a few things wrong.
If you haven’t heard of Father Greg Boyle, let us introduce you: a Jesuit priest who has a touch of Santa Claus in his affect, Greg Boyle has collaborated with thousands of former gang members to build thriving businesses and communities of radical acceptance in East LA. He is a man who is sure that love is the answer to every question and has lived a life that offers him daily proof. Following my conversation with Father Boyle, I sat down with a researcher and social scientist named Christian Miller, a philosophy professor from Wake Forest, to talk about his work around ethics and character. Please enjoy this very special conversation. (Replay)
Margaret Lauhoff submitted this delightful eulogy - it was written by her husband Dave for his mother Adele who he clearly adored. Rather than use colorful adjectives to describe his very special mom, Dave opted to shine a light on her by sharing particular words and phrases she used throughout her life as well as by telling stories of how she interacted with those around her. The result is a warm, humorous, loving remembrance of a very unique lady.
Dr. Ken Ginsburg knows a lot about teenagers; he’s been working with them for decades. He made a surprising assertion about peer v parental influence that I just had to follow up on. We’ll be back for the next 4 Fridays with more tidbits from this guy.Please share with your friends.
Check out Ken’s new book, “Congrats! You’re Having a Teen! Strengthen Your Family and Raise a Good Person” put out by the American Academy of Pediatrics.
Exhausting, illuminating, filled with grace—that’s how the Notre Dame students in this episode described their college experience. In addition to talking to the kids, Kelly sat down with two professors who love their work, Dr. Kathy Cummings (winner of the 2021 Sheedy Award for Excellence in Teaching) who teaches history and Dr. Sam Newlands, a philosopher who studios hope, optimism and transformative experiences. This is a conversation for anyone wondering about the benefits of studying history and philosophy in an algorithmic world more automated by the day. Sharing episodes is easy and encouraged.
Anne Marie eulogizes her mother Anne Nahn who she says, “was a life force unlike most”. She was the mother of 8 and grandmother of 18, she learned to tap dance at 42 and was a PhD candidate at 55 “just for fun”. Anne loved life and embraced it wholeheartedly, always ready to jump aboard whatever adventure might come her way.
You know the feeling you get when you look at a cool building or clouds from the plane window? When you watch a young person excel in anything — from tennis to American Idol? When you turn a corner and are met by chalk art or a show stopping window display? That’s awe and it’s powerful stuff and today’s GOTO wonders how it works and why. (Replay)
Yale offers a class called Life Worth Living, taught in part by an irresistible religion professor named Miroslav Volf, who has pulled readings from the ages into a curriculum that asks students to reflect on what makes a life “good.” As Miroslav says, “we’ve become experts at means but amateurs at ends.” This is a conversation to share with everyone in your immediate circles.
Michelle Hurst celebrates her husband and their marriage on the occasion of their 20th Anniversary. From 23 year-old newlyweds finding their way in the world to 43 year-old’s who have shared a puppy, kids, a mortgage and decades of meaningful memories - they have navigated it all together. Michelle says: “I knew he was ‘home’ that’s the only word I have ever used to describe him.”
I moderated a panel of public media professionals recently and scribbled pages of notes as they talked through the pivotal moments in their careers. Absolutely had to share these 5 takeaways for anyone who is wondering what’s next and how am I gonna get there? (Replay)
One of the most popular professors at Boston College is a woman named Biz Bracher. She teaches a course that wonders about ethics, society and the individual. She asks her students to think hard about their potential as citizens and contributors. She drills down on the biggest questions we face: What am I good at? Who am I called to become? This is a conversation that serves all of us, whether we’re kids inching toward adulthood or adults craving some productive introspection. Enjoy and share.
Jim Doherty eulogized his friend David McCarthy, “number 2”, at the dedication of a baseball field, 30 years after his death. David was one of the good guys, a great friend to many with an incredible aura. The spirit of life within him was evident on the baseball and football field, in the classroom and when he was surrounded by his large group of friends.
Ages ago, M Scott Peck (of The Road Less Traveled) studied success (personal and professional) and was surprised to discover that all the people in his study had one thing in common: they all report the exact same “most important” thing. As I sink into the reality of an empty nest, I felt the need to remind myself that it is not my children’s job (nor is it Edward’s) to make me happy. Hope you find it useful and worth sharing and of course, come visit me on Instagram @kellycorrigan to give feedback. (Replay)
As a parent writing a whole lot of tuition checks, Kelly came to the conversation with a long list of questions. What’s the best college can be? What’s a typical experience? Who gets the most out of campus life? What’s the link between education and democracy? What’s fair to expect and why on Earth is it so damn expensive? Andy Delbanco of Columbia has thought, talked and written as much about the value of a liberal arts education as anyone.
In addition to his work as a professor at Columbia University, Andrew Delbanco is the President of the Teagle Foundation. He has received the prestigious honor of being named the 2022 Jefferson Lecturer in the Humanities. You can register for free tickets for the in-person lecture event, “The Question of Reparations: Our Past, Our Present, Our Future,” taking place on Wed, Oct. 19 at 6:30pm or watch the livestream on NEH’s website.
This episode is the kick off to the Live From College Road Trip series where Kelly and her producer Tammy sit in on classes and talk to kids on 15 college campuses across the country. Hit subscribe to travel with the team from Yale to Harvey Mudd, Notre Dame to Tulane, UCSD to Georgetown. We’ll do 8 over the course of the fall semester and be back in the spring with 7 more.
Darin Ishimatsu eulogizes his mother and lifelong teacher Carole. As a shy and reserved boy, Carole’s energy and enthusiasm brought out the very best in her son. She always pursued the finest the world had to offer whether it was food, coffee, museums or symphonies. Carole was a lady who was full of spunk, had strong opinions and gave so much of herself to her beloved students and family.
The final week of a 3-part mini series with Julie Lythcott-Haims where Kelly drops a specific, real life parenting challenge on the table and two moms talk it out. This week: teaching kids how to make, save and spend money.
Kelly and renowned writer Susan Orlean talk about transitions in family life — including the big one of becoming an empty nester. In this replay of a fan favorite, Kelly shares memories of early days with young children in this very personal episode. Please subscribe, rate and review us wherever you listen to podcasts! We read and appreciate every review. You can follow the conversation with Kelly on Instagram @kellycorrigan.
In this heartfelt eulogy which Katie Toungette wrote for her son Eli, she talks about setting a workout plan for life based on Eli’s love of training. Eli loved to laugh, to love, to learn and to race so fast, it seemed like he was flying. So, Katie suggests taking life in 15 minute increments and getting in more “reps” of what’s important: laugh more, hug longer, learn everything possible and find a way to soar.
Looking at micro-moments in family life with Julie Lythcott-Haims who believes good parenting means giving kids a lot of choice — and all the accompanying consequences too. This week: how to deal when a kid wants to quit the team, the after school job, the violin lessons?
Replay of Episode 69. There’s a lot to learn about how to help (or let) a kid become an adult from someone who worked with Stanford students for 10 years, not to mention someone who wrestles with every major moment in parenting herself. Julie Lythcott-Haims is the author of How to Raise an Adult and Your Turn: How to Be an Adult and is as honest as they come. This is one to play on repeat. If you loved this conversation, you might also like the August 27 quick hit pod on Parenting Mantras or Kelly's conversation with parenting expert Dr. Lisa Damour on how different generations approach parenting.
Beth Trutner wrote this poignant letter to her father in the middle of the night after one of his trips to the hospital. The letter is a meditation on aging: Beth honors her once vital and independent dad who loved to hike, sail, bike and play golf but also acknowledges the many changes to his body and mind in his 93rd year. Her love for her dad is evident as she recalls time spent hiking with him, crewing on his yacht and looking into his pale blue eyes.
Every Friday for the next 3 weeks, Kelly takes a small but real parenting challenge to her friend Julie Lythcott-Haims, the author of some very good books. This week we’re talking about how to decide when to intervene and when to let the shit hit the fan when our kids are traveling. They missed the train. They lost their luggage. The Uber didn’t show. And so, the ideal parental response is…what? [Join us on Instagram to talk it out @kellycorrigan and subscribe to the pod to catch every episode.]
To understand the brain’s function and methods is to get some much needed distance from family dynamics so that we might understand them more fully. Lisa Feldman Barrett has been researching and writing about how emotions are made for many years. Kelly and Lisa met on the set of Tell Me More for PBS and they have been talking ever since, particularly about how neuroscience informs parenting. This is a conversation for anyone who has ever been stunned by an interaction, good or bad, and wondered what just happened? Check out Lisa’s books - How Emotions Are Made: The Secret Life of the Brain & Seven and a Half Lessons About the Brain.
Tim and Julie Vasquez submitted two lovely essays that Tim wrote when it was time to send their sons off to college. We loved both and today we’re airing the first one called, “The Drive to Oregon”. It’s a beautiful reminder to us all that although the destination is important, it’s the journey that really matters.
Katy Milkman caught my ear when she said: unsolicited advice is demotivating. She’s at U Penn’s Wharton’s school and does a lot of research on behavior change, including with young adults. Her book is called How To Change and along with people like Angela Duckworth, The New York Times and Charles Duhigg, I highly recommend it.
How do toddlers become tweens who become teens who take themselves so seriously, they get right to work on the biggest, hairiest problem on planet earth? We start with Stanford student Sophia Kianni, known as the family megaphone, the one who started every argument, and then sit down with Colorado State’s 2019 Outstanding Professor of the Year, Dr. Emily Fischer. To stay up to date with non-partisan facts about the climate and how we can help, sign up for the newsletter on ScienceMoms.com.
Joy Netanya Thompson submitted this moving eulogy for her paternal grandmother Zelda, a Holocaust survivor who endured so much and yet threw her arms open to life. Zelda danced at every opportunity and basked in the presence of her grandchildren like they were sunshine.
Thanks to the team at Reasons to be Cheerful, a feed and website started by my old friend from an interview I did for PBS, David Byrne, I have learned of a story that proves what I so desperately need to believe: one person can move an organization, a country, a continent.
Today’s show features two charming, unassuming, determined women. First, a humble teenager named Ardra Charath shares her ideas about what we can do to make sense of the extreme weather events she lived through in India and the Middle East. Then, atmospheric scientist Dr. Melissa Burt fills us in on the enthusiasm and forward motion she sees every day with her students. If you are finding yourself thinking more and more about how to protect Mother Earth, join the mailing list at ScienceMoms.com to keep in touch and stay up to date.
Catherine wrote this loving tribute to honor her mother Judith on the occasion of her 80th birthday. Judith is a mother of 4 and grandmother of 8 who has lived on 3 continents and loves nothing more than a house full of family.
Something I have long sensed to be true from personal experience and now know is the case, thanks to the work of Dr. Samantha Boardman, author of Everyday Vitality, and my neuroscientist friend Dr. Lisa Feldman Barrett.
Emma Venarde is a college sophomore at Brown. Joellen Russell is a climate scientist in Arizona. They are leaders in a growing army of earnest, endearing women inspiring growth in understanding, behavior, policy and legislation to protect our planet. Here we talk about their best and worst moves on the road to change. Sign up for the free 2x monthly nonpartisan newsletter at ScienceMoms.com to stay in touch on how we can be a part of the solutions going forward.
High school junior Clare Murphy wrote this touching, personal and evocative essay for a school assignment. It conveys incredible warmth and deep affection for a very special lake house and also the large, loving family that inhabits it each summer.
Based on a week’s worth of conversations with friends who are parenting hard and losing sleep because of it, I turned to my neuroscientist friend, Lisa Feldman Barrett, who gave me a validating thought.
What do college freshman Malia Honda and deep sea oceanographer Claudia Benitez-Nelson have in common? They both believe that they can change the story of Planet Earth. Here’s a lively, endearing conversation between people who care and have successes to show us. To keep in touch on this issue, join Kelly and sign up for the free, occasional newsletter from Science Moms.
Today’s Thanks For Being Here is the first episode since we here at Kelly Corrigan Wonders made the decision to include many different types of special tributes besides eulogies. We believe sharing tributes of all kinds is the loveliest way to tap into our better selves and remember our highest values.
This episode features a beautiful Bar Mitzvah blessing. It was written and submitted by Kelly’s friend Rebecca for her charming son, Asher.
If you’ve been listening to our recent climate series, “All Together Now”, you’ve heard from some pretty impressive teens. For those of us listening to their incredible achievements and lovingly wondering about the drive of our own kids, we offer a delightful and hilarious poem by Billy Collins, former Poet Laureate of the United States called, “To My Favorite 17 year-old High School Girl”.
Join us as we marvel at the work of a young activist who reminds us that the movement cannot be stopped. Rahul Durai, a junior in high school, is working hard and smart to help Indiana pass a piece of legislation that could turn the tide in coal country. Katharine Hayhoe (professor, evangelical, science mom and bestselling author) says he’s right on the money. To stay informed as we move forward, we encourage every listener to sign up for the free email newsletter on sciencemoms.com. That’s the easiest way to keep learning from a nonpartisan, data driven, footnoted source.
Once in a great while, maybe even just once in a lifetime, a person comes along who totally changes your perspective, teaches you what matters and gives you an example of what loving your fellow man is supposed to look like. Avery Anderson was that person. She affected people near and far and people around the world showed their love and support of her by wearing rubber bracelets in Avery’s favorite color of teal green. #avethebrave
Thanks to a brilliant TED talk by Baratunde Thurston, I’m thinking about how people tell the story of what’s happened. I also reached out to my neuroscientist friend Lisa Feldman Barrett to ask her about how the brain processes language. It all sounds very heady and it is, a little, but it’s also something worth thinking about since we live in language.
Yllka Gashi is Kosovo’s answer to Jennifer Aniston. After years starring in the nation’s most adored sit-com, she left her war torn country to raise her daughter in the US. But a certain story stuck with her: a war widow who eked out a living selling honey from her husband’s beehives. 8 years in the making, HIVE won the Grand Jury prize at Sundance and was Kosovo’s official Oscar submission, making it onto the shortlist of films being considered for nomination. This is a conversation for people who wonder about the relationship between hardship, grit and integration.
12 year-old Jack was an artist, a brilliant reader, a mathematician, a serious student of the Bible and a lover of Legos, baseball and his family. Always conscious of doing the right thing, Jack was the kid you’d want your kids to hang around with to keep them on the straight and narrow. His school friends remember him as smart, kind, funny and the life of the party. Jack was able to take on the joy of others and keep it for himself and instead of allowing the joys and successes of others to diminish him, he allowed it to fill him up.
Coming off a family wedding, I dug out a copy of The Middle Place to share a passage about learning that my fertility was a casualty of the cancer war and why I had become so convinced that I was meant to have “four by forty.”
The worst thing that can happen to a mother happened to Cherylann Gengel. And it has changed every moment since. She is one of those high purpose people who makes you question your vocational certainty and wonder what might you be capable of. She is also a living reminder that loss is a territory with many eco-systems and singular viewpoints. If you feel so moved, her organization will put any gifts we give her to very good use.
Kirsten’s dad Tom was beloved by his kids and grandkids (one of whom couldn’t pronounce the letter “T”, resulting in the nickname Papa Fom). Tom was a man who loved the simple pleasures in life: playing and winning various games, flying balsa wood planes with his family, joking around, drawing and painting, eating candy, playing “house” and “school” with his grandkids or letting them climb all the way up his body to stand on his shoulders. He really loved the little things and everyday moments were his favorites.
Here’s a word that everyone is saying these days: mindfulness. I don’t totally know what it means, officially, but I have jerry-rigged a little process to help me mind the moment, to see the day for what the small miracle that it is and enter it with intention — and it’s working for me. So, see what you think. And let me know if you have ideas or tweaks on Instagram.
As a 19 year old, Letitia Hanke took a job as a receptionist at the local roofing company. Within 10 years, she bought the business she has now been running (and growing) for 18 years. If you want to remember that anything is possible, this conversation will wake you up to the possibilities. Part 2 of the How’d You Do That? series.
The only person who didn’t know how truly special Ellie O’Connor was, was Ellie O’Connor. A woman of action, not words she was pure magic - able to make everyone’s wishes come true, quietly, humbly. Whether it was sending a letter every single week for 5 years to her grandson who was away at college, helping with family gatherings, cooking, cleaning or giving the perfect gift, Little Ellie’s generosity of spirit made everything and everyone feel better.
It’s a small but life changing miracle when someone tells you about their harder days. This is for anyone who needs a reminder that everyone, even the most famous people in the country, have heartaches, losses, lingering areas of shame and anxieties.
With the demand for excellent mental health care at its all time peak, it’s a good thing people like Tracy Defina dared to go back to school — for many years — to get a PhD in counseling. This is the story of how she pulled off this enormous achievement in the middle of life already teeming with to dos. My conversation with Tracy is the first of a 4-part series called How’d You Do That? with women who made radical changes to their lives well after most of their peers had settled into a given way of life.
Moira O’Connor submitted this 2-part eulogy written and originally read by her nephews Jonathan and Jamie to honor her dad/their grandfather, George Hebbel. George was the father of 5, grandfather of 13, and great grandfather of 14. He was a man who was larger than life: a fighter pilot, a water skier who skied with a pipe casually clenched in his teeth, an ocean kayaker able to hoist his kayak on top of his Jeep well into his 80’s. However it was the smaller, quieter moments in George’s life that truly made him a legend: the many times he reached out to help someone in need, the situations in which he simply showed up, his ability to let others love him. He was a man who was always there for his family and friends, right up to the very end.
Happy Father’s Day to all - from the team at Kelly Corrigan Wonders.
For anyone who has ever caught themselves turning away from feedback, this one’s for you. And if you find it hard to learn from your children or their friends, this might particularly resonate!
Anthony Ray Hinton has been on the pod before. In fact, our listeners chose him for the 2021 Episode of the Year. Recently, Kelly and Ray met up on stage at St. Joe’s in Philly, together in person for the first time, to talk about — well — love, which guided Ray through an unjust 30 year sentence on Alabama’s death row. Nothing we tell you here can prepare you for his story and insights. Just know you are about to be changed. To view this conversation, go to PBS.org/kelly. Please share with everyone you know who cares about justice and the role of faith in one man’s very hard, very beautiful life.
Shawn eulogizes her parents Bobbie and Roy Gomer who she lost to Covid within a day of one another in May 2020. She talks lovingly of her stoic, humble, 5’2” father who beamed with pride over his children and grandchildren and her dynamo, firecracker, renowned bridge player of a mom, who was Shawn’s everything. These two incredible people who always wanted more for their children and grandchildren than they ever wanted for themselves, fulfilled exactly that dream. They are missed tremendously and loved enormously.
Our greatest act of agency is the minute by minute choice of where we place our attention. Here’s a thought for all of us who feel so damn out of control.
If you need proof that nothing is quite as endearing as honesty, meet Lilly Singh. She is a smart, funny millennial whose YouTube sketch comedy videos are as brilliant as they are beloved: 3 billion combined views. This is a conversation worth your time, both for yourself and any young adult in your life who would benefit from your expanded understanding of the pressures of modern life. You can watch this interview, and all of the previous 9 podcast episodes, on PBS.org/kelly.
All three of the Tiehel sisters eulogized their incredible mom PT but this one, written by daughter Amy really sums up the way PT lived her life: always on the lookout for the person having a tough go of it, the loner, the one who needed a helping hand. This is a story about taking the time to really notice people and to help make the world a better place, one small, kind gesture at a time.
From Kelly’s graduation speech at The University of Richmond, 67 legit reasons for optimism even now.
Bestselling author and stage 4 cancer patient Kate Bowler (Duke Divinity professor and host of Everything Happens podcast) asks as many questions as she answers. Where did we get our ideas about what’s fair, what can be manifested, what we’re owed? When it comes to cultural messages of self help, what’s true and what’s a bunch of profitable nonsense? After Kelly sat down with Kate on the set of her PBS show Tell Me More, she met up with bestselling author Arthur C. Brooks, a happiness researcher who writes for The Atlantic and teaches at Harvard.
Carter paints a vivid picture of her popular Baltimore mom Sally who always gave back and had plenty of love to spare. Whether it was founding an organization to help others, sitting on a board, creating the best Christmas ever or simply spreading love and joy to her family and beyond, Sally was a force for good.
During the book signing portion of a recent speech, I spent a few minutes with a woman whose story hasn’t left me.
Robin Roberts, who has been saying Good Morning America for decades now, has a few hard-earned lessons to share. She was in isolation for 174 days after a bone marrow transplant to save her life. She reported from Katrina only after searching the coast for her own family. She broke every barrier in journalism on her own terms. She personifies grit, which is why we had to bring Angela Duckworth into the conversation, to break down just how we all might nurture and sustain Robin’s perseverance and optimism. To watch this interview, go to PBS.org/kelly. Robin’s new book, Brighter by the Day, is available now.
The first time Julie met Pam of Kinderhook, NY, it was in the doorway of their freshman year dorm room. It was the beginning of a supercharged, meaningful friendship that lasted for over 30 years.
The week after I graduated from college I jumped on a boat in Malta and served as the cook for six weeks. I’m still thinking about a few things I learned on the water. Then, not a month ago, I talked a woman next to me on a plane ride who told me something about the north stars that are set for us by our parents and those we set for ourselves that was worth repeating, exploring and sharing here.
Samantha Power is devoted, insightful and oozing with compassion for the many pockets of the world that need our support. As part of the PBS series, Tell Me More, we sat down at her offices in DC to talk about loss, intervention, personal agency and progress. She is generous and open about miscarriages, panic attacks, the death of her father and the great man who raised her. Share with anyone who is worrying about the state of global affairs, any service-minded young adult or anyone who juggles a career of consequence and a family that lights her up.
Jen remembers her friend and “guardian angel” Hallie. The two women met on a week-long rock-climbing adventure for cancer survivors and quickly bonded. Jokingly nicknamed “Fancypants” by her new rock-climbing friends due to the enormous suitcase of clothes she packed for the trip, Hallie was incredibly warm and full of energy - a woman who sparkled and shined brightly. She had a gift for taking in the present moment, she loved and appreciated her family and friends and she reminded all around her to “Be Here Now”.
I believe in wonder as a way of life. Here are some thoughts about what hurts and helps curiosity flourish.
Recorded inside the National Museum of African American History and Culture in DC, this is a conversation about how and what we remember with the museum’s director (who is also a poet, an essayist and a New Yorker editor on the side) Kevin Young. Shared with thanks to PBS and easily viewed on www.PBS.org/kelly.
Kim writes about her mom who a childhood friend named “Lovely Lin”. She says: If you knew her, you were fortunate—whether a brief encounter, a colleague, lifelong friend, or most especially, her beloved family. You were fortunate because she was a bright and warm light in this world. She was a “feeling” - warmth, love, kindness.
On this Mother’s day, we honor you Lovely Lin, you and all the amazing moms - wherever they may be.
In my experience over these 20 years, the thing about motherhood that makes batty is trying to gauge whether I’m overreacting or under reacting. What if I let up at the wrong time? What if I go to the mat over something that just doesn’t matter? This one is for everyone who wrestles similarly and is recorded with love and a ton of respect for my mom, a true wonder named Mary Corrigan.
Dropping kids off at kindergarten, summer camp, the prom, college, their first apartment…how do we do transitions well? It’s that time of year: capsand gowns are being ordered, fields of chairs are being set out for graduations. Kelly has a tangled pile of questions about each sending off moment for her friend Ariel who is also Dr. Trost, invaluable psychologist.
Kelly B. pays tribute to her mom who created cozy quilts and knit caps, cut peonies from her garden and shared her passion for color and beauty all while working hard, guiding her kids and showering them with love. This single mom juggled it all and made a beautiful life for her daughters and her grandchildren.
It’s my anniversary. This one’s a look back at a weird moment in our early days and why it’s so hard and also so glorious to be in the same mood at the same time.
Judd Apatow is curious, unassuming and forthcoming in this conversation with Kelly about his mom, his daughters, the business that needs improving and the work he loves. Filmed for Kelly’s PBS show Tell Me More in Los Angeles in celebration of Judd’s new film, The Bubble. After talking to Judd, Kelly sat down with Columbia’s George Bonanno to talk about a key part of Judd’s history and how it relates to George’s work on resilience.
As snow falls on the Eastern Shore of Maryland, Stacey remembers her hard-working and loving father Frank.
If you haven’t heard of Father Greg Boyle, let us introduce you: a Jesuit priest who has a touch of Santa Claus in his affect, Greg Boyle has collaborated with thousands of former gang members to build thriving businesses and communities of radical acceptance in East LA. He is a man who is sure that love is the answer to every question and has lived a life that offers him daily proof. Following my conversation with Father Boyle, I sat down with a researcher and social scientist named Christian Miller, a philosophy professor from Wake Forest, to talk about his work around ethics and character. Please enjoy this very special conversation.
Estimates are that about every 15 minutes we make a decision and that decision often involves a choice of who to put first, ourselves or someone else. The culture and business of self is thriving. Richard Lui is a news anchor whose life has asked him to repeatedly consider the ping ponging we all do between acts of selfishness and acts of selflessness. Eight years ago, he started flying cross-country weekly to take care of his father who had Alzheimer's and if you ask him, caring for them is both a harrowing duty and a privilege with many benefits. After talking to Richard, Kelly did a deep dive into what we know about trauma and grief with research, author and Columbia professor George Bonanno. This conversation is for anyone and everyone who is caring for another person. Please share.
It was John' McNulty’s wish to be eulogized by all four of his adult children (Christine, David, Laura and Daniel). So, they wrote this warm, loving, funny tribute together, broke it into sections and each one delivered a portion of it at his mass.
With our hearts in Ukraine, here’s a story to love about a group of caring people in San Francisco in a time of uncertainty who showed the world how to lean in.
Anna Deavere Smith (from broadway as well as Nurse Jackie, West Wing and Inventing Anna) is a deep thinker with an easy laugh—pretty much my favorite combination. She felt like an old friend from minute one. This heart to heart from the set of my PBS show, Tell Me More was followed by a conversation with Princeton professor Andrew Chignell who studies, among other things, hope and optimism, something Anna had a lot to say about. This is what we think of as a perfect Kelly Corrigan Wonders episode—a lot of feeling, a lot of thinking. Enjoy and share.
Kelly and Jen swap stories of the men in their lives who make them feel sane and loved, including co-workers, cousins, uncles, brothers and old high school buddies.
Convictions about what parenting moves work and which are pure disaster…decisions about where and when to donate to what…beliefs about shared humanity and common ground. This is a far ranging conversation with Jen Hatmaker that lifts us out of the headlines and into something more pervasive and timeless. If you are starving for more thoughts on how people come to see each other more fully, the follow on listen is here with Wanda Holland Greene.
The data are in: we are not good at predicting what will make us happy. This is known and documented. So as we watch another class of kids lose their minds waiting to hear from colleges, let us remind each other that getting exactly what we want may or may not be exactly what we need.
Comparing notes and readings on friendships with writer and activist Jen Hatmaker. Let this be your reminder that talking about money, sex, health and our embarrassing needs might save us all. Made to be shared with your inner circle, as a message of gratitude and commitment.
A takeaway from two articles I read this week that reminded me that it is not insane to believe we might find news ways to relate, co-exist, be…
Reflecting on the persistence and challenge of change as a way of life and a few deep dives into very specific changes with writer, activist and community leader Jen Hatmaker.
If you enjoyed listening to my conversation this week with Jen Hatmaker and you haven’t already listened to the episode we did together in May of 2021, please check it out - it’s been one of the most listened to pods we’ve ever done and I think you’ll really enjoy it. It’s Episode #35 of Kelly Corrigan Wonders. You may also enjoy the series we did in 2021 called How Change Happens. It’s a special 10 part series l of frank conversations about suffering, compassion, willpower and tough love.
As another spring season of sports kicks in, here are some thoughts about what we can make of this time together on fields and courts and baseball diamonds.
The Talking Heads. American Utopia. Singular creative David Byrne talks with Kelly about how he stays just cheerful enough to keep making art in a world of chaos. Then, Kelly sits with Judy Woodruff on the set of PBS NewsHour to talk about holding on to the positive on even the very hardest days and how she processes the news as both an American, a special needs mom and a media professional. To watch the full Tell Me More with Kelly Corrigan series, go to PBS.org/kelly.
When I was in high school, I found a pile of old letters that my dad had written to my mom when she was just a girl from Baltimore. I revisit them here in memory of my dad on the day he died.
Scott Galloway repeatedly asks us to square our worship of technology and innovators with what we know is and is not good for us and society. He wants us to face the slow but certain damage we allow corporations to inflict, every day, on our kids and ourselves. Standing on a firm foundation of facts and insight, he asks the hardest and most consequential questions of our time. Dolores Huerta worked side by side with Cesar Chavez for decades. She stood next to Robert Kennedy the night he was shot. She convinced 18 million people to boycott grapes. These back to back conversations, recorded on the set of Kelly’s PBS show, Tell Me More, are part wake up call and part roadmap. To watch all episodes of Tell Me More, go to pbs.org/kelly.
Dipping back into some early GOTOs, here’s a second run of an idea that bears repeating: kids remember when we follow their lead. It feels like love because it is. *Includes a reading about my dad, forever a fan by nature, who used to watch me practice diving long after the rest of the world went home for dinner.
Today I’m talking with big wave surfer Bianca Valenti and big time philanthropist Melinda French Gates. Whether it’s facing down a 50-foot wave or world-wide criticism over choices made, they’ll explain why it’s been so worth it to push beyond any fear or discomfort. They’ll also tell you that if you’re tracking culture and equity here in the United States or abroad, there is real progress to celebrate, progress that might help us stay the course and finish the work of making a world that is fair for girls and women. To watch the full Tell Me More with Kelly Corrigan series on PBS, visit pbs.org/kelly.
This is the first episode of our new series Thanks For Being Here. It will be a very short pod that comes out every Sunday morning as Sundays are, for a lot of people, a time of reflection, a time to let go of the day to day and to touch base with what matters, what will matter and what will have mattered.
The answer to that question for me is often found in ceremonies. I could literally watch strangers get married once a week, and I'm even more effected by funerals, sitting in a service, taking in the story of one life, just another ordinary person who they loved, who loved them. I feel a clarity and direction that I often can't find in the daily push and pull and eulogies in particular are about the most succinct source of direction I can think of.
So, I asked readers and listeners who have lost someone to share their eulogies and every week I'll read one here so that we don't forget, there is a point to the pain, that we have much to offer, that we affect each other and that ordinary lives are really kind of exquisite when you look at them closely.
This first episode features a eulogy beautifully written by my editor at Random House, Andy Ward, to honor his father.
Thanks to a PhD I used to talk to quite a bit when our kids were in school together, I got a shape up on the ways I think and talk about whose good at what and why.
People say “Stay in your lane” but I don’t buy it. I like people who care about a lot of things, not just winning another NBA championship (I see you Steve Kerr, eyeing #9) or making another world class docu-series (I see you W Kamau Bell, with your devastating Cosby series). I like people who dare to say unpopular things into microphones because they have a platform and they feel compelled to use it. This is an episode with two of my favorite people — Warriors coach Steve Kerr and comedian, producer and director W. Kamau Bell — talking about what they do beyond what they do, if you get my drift. Go to pbs.org/kelly to watch Tell Me More with Kelly Corrigan.
Thanks to a listener who makes an excellent point, I am correcting some recurring remarks about piano lessons being a total bust.
With tenderness and optimism, Atul Gawande (author of Being Mortal, a must read) and Ai-jen Poo (who supports caregivers across the country) give us all a way to think about love, caregiving and facing mortality. To watch Kelly’s conversations with Atul and Ai-jen, go to www.pbs.org/kelly. If you love our pod, please give us a nice juicy 5 star rating. It takes about 2 seconds and helps lots of other people find us. Thanks.
Thoughts on doing things for no reason whatsoever, including an excerpt from Kate Bowler’s little book of devotionals called Good Enough, and my embarrassing need for rationalizing doing nothing as doing something. You’ll see.
Puzzles. Pickle Ball. Backgammon, hearts, Rummikub. Collaging, watercolors, knitting. What might have seemed nice-to-have is actually a must-have if you want to protect your mental, physical and intellectual well being. Catherine Price, a science journalist, has rounded up the evidence and it’s clear: fun matters. Listen to Kelly and Catherine talk through the when, how and why of playing. Share with anyone you know who needs a reminder of the power of fun.
For more on embracing fun, check out Kelly’s For The Good of the Order on the Opposite of Stagnation.
To learn more about Catherine’s book The Power of Fun: How to Feel Alive Again, visit https://howtohavefun.com/.
Right around this time, especially this year, there can be a pervasive feeling that change actually never happens. that things go in circles, that progress is a lullaby. I say no! Here’s my formula for keeping hope alive. Share with anyone who might be slowly sinking under the weight of it all.
A big word for me as I get my head around 2022 is notice. What am I letting happen to myself? What might I be able to adjust or reject? Noticing seems like the obvious first step in self-management. Today’s conversation with Pamela Paul is about the things we have lost to the Internet and what, if anything, we want to do about it. What ideas, objects, habits and preferences has the Internet washed away? Can we claw some back? Pamela is the long time editor of the New York Times Book Review but she’s also written more than a handful of books herself. If you love this conversation, I’d suggest you loop back to the self-care conversation I had with Manoush Zomorodi or the conversation about becoming “indistractable” with Nir Eyal.
In exploring a project about eulogies, I noticed something that made me question all the guilt I’m hearing about from parents who listened to my conversation with Julie Lythcott-Haims. I mean, yes, we make mistakes and those mistakes have consequences but our giant gorilla heart love doesn’t go unnoticed either. Share this with anyone who gets down on themselves about the bumpy ride that is family life.
With not much more than a bag of chips and a tuba, Richard White found his way from intermittent homelessness and into the symphony This is a story to make you remember how much we can and do overcome. If you love this episode, you’ll also like hearing ultra-athlete Rich Roll talk about his long walk to solid ground and the irresistible Devone Boggan talk about the guys he takes to Disneyland every year.
After re-listening to my conversation with Julie Lythcott-Haims about overparenting and reading hundreds of comments online, it seemed to me like there might be a way to transition from the hovering at close range to cheering from a safe distance. Here’s 3 minutes on the 3 steps I’m trying. Please share our work with your friends, or I should say KEEP sharing (clearly you have been since our reach has doubled in six months). We are happy to be useful and equally happy to keep our content free for all.
There’s a lot to learn about how to help (or let) a kid become an adult from someone who worked with Stanford students for 10 years, not to mention someone who wrestles with every major moment in parenting herself. Julie Lythcott-Haims is the author of How to Raise an Adult and Your Turn: How to Be an Adult and is as honest as they come. This is one to play on repeat. If you loved this conversation, you might also like the August 27 quick hit pod on Parenting Mantras or Kelly's conversation with parenting expert Dr. Lisa Damour on how different generations approach parenting.
Ages ago, M Scott Peck (of The Road Less Traveled) studied success (personal and professional) and was surprised to discover that all the people in his study had one thing in common: they all report the exact same “most important” thing. As I sink into the reality of an empty nest, I felt the need to remind myself that it is not my children’s job (nor is it Edward’s) to make me happy. Hope you find it useful and worth sharing and of course, come visit me on Instagram @kellycorrigan to give feedback.
Kelly listens in tears as long time death row inmate Anthony Ray Hinton tells her the best story she's ever heard. With thanks to listeners for voting and Bryan Stevenson at the Equal Justice Initiative for introducing us to Mr. Hinton. Please share widely. This one will heal us.
Other 2021 listener favorites mentioned in this episode include BJ Miller on Losing the Ones We Love and Anna Quindlen & Anna Sale on Misunderstandings: Finding Clarity in Retrospect.
A lovely story about a neighborhood in Baltimore has been circulating this week. Like so many people, I was moved. For today’s very quick GOTO, I wanted to underline one unusual choice that made all this beauty possible: the minute Kim Morton decided to say something real.
Kelly talks with a favorite writer: the kind, wise, funny and wicked smart George Saunders. They go deep on ignoring the persistent whispering of our tricky egos and work through the ongoing challenge of returning ourselves to a state of wonder and empathy.
For anyone who finds themselves going to war with reality…this one is for you. A deep dive into where we get our expectations of consistency and resolution. Share with your pals. Podcasts make the perfect fodder for friendship.
Jen Hatmaker was famously married with children until she discovered she wasn’t. Chosen by producer Tammy Stedman as her favorite conversation of Year One, here’s Kelly and her friend Jen talking candidly about shock, tangled up losses of all kinds (financial, emotional security, sense of identity, futures you were counting on…) and the things you learn on the bounce back. This episode features the poem, “The Women Who Walk Us Home” by poet Kate Baer. If you love listening to Jen, you might also like hearing from Cecily Strong.
Talking to Judy Woodruff about the things she learned from her son, Jeffrey, talking to Ai-jen Poo about all the nannies she supports, took me right back to some weirdly lovely moments with Greenie. This is a short piece to share with anybody you know who is taking care of someone. It’s hard work made a litle bit easier by being recognized.
After a year of conversations, it’s time to reflect on our favorites. We go behind the scenes with the team to surface the episodes that have moved us, changed us and sustained us during this abjectly crappy time in American life. Founding producer Susan George tells Kelly her top 3 picks, ending with her #1: writer, thinker, humanist Johann Hari.
Susan mentions: Episode 37 Amanda Ripley on Personal and Global Conflict and Episode 39 Carvell Wallace on Understanding and Acceptance as well as Johann Hari’s book Lost Connections and Andrew Sullivan’s book Virtually Normal: An Argument about Homosexuality.
Here’s a cool thing: some listeners asked me to share my essay on forgiveness in a stand alone piece so they could send it to friends and family who had been forgiving with them over the years like an audio thank you card. So, by request, I’m sharing the uncut (and actually expanded) version of the piece I wrote first for the podcast and then for The New York Times with thanks to Rabbi Michael Lezak, Richard Enright PhD and Anne Lamott.
For anyone with gift anxiety, for anyone who feels like you can’t win for losing, this is the conversation for you. Full of reminders and insights as we gear up for the season, Anna and Kelly ask all the right questions. If you enjoyed this heart to heart, you’ll love episodes 24-28 with Anna Quindlen and podcaster Anna Sale.
Hey Annie from MA who commented on my FB post, this GOTO is for you. I did a deep dive into the magic of nudges (not rules, not threats, just little well-placed nudges toward the right next move) and followed the search where it took me—to one of my most dearly held convictions.
Anna Quindlen and Kelly share readings, stories and insights on the art of holidaying, regular-people style. Special drop in by Kelly’s brother, Booker. If you love Anna Q, you’ll enjoy episodes 24- 28 from March 2021. Please subscribe, rate and review us wherever you listen to podcasts! We read and appreciate every review. You can follow the conversation with Kelly on Instagram @kellycorrigan.
After a really interesting conversation with a few friends who have lost parents, I’ve been wondering about what it really feels like to be the one in the bed and reconsidering my assumptions about quality and quantity, tragedy and growth, knowable and unknowable.
Anna Quindlen and Kelly work through pre-game jitters about the holidays on the horizon and how they might turn out okay after all. Kelly shares a new reading on the ever-present need for forgiveness. Special guest appearance by Kelly’s brother, Booker. If you enjoyed this episode with Anna Quindlen, please check out Kelly Corrigan Wonders episodes 24-28 featuring Anna Quindlen and podcaster Anna Sale for a series on “How to Make the Most of Family Life”. Please subscribe, rate and review us wherever you listen to podcasts! We read and appreciate every review. You can follow the conversation with Kelly on Instagram @kellycorrigan.
The future is dangerous place to live. I’m thinking this week about the insane power of expectations and wondering what would happen if we could be way more aware of our thinking as expectations are being set. Could we interrupt the process somehow so we put less pressure on our days, our kids and our relationships to turn out in some dreadfully specific way?
Kelly reflects on the meaning of life. Seriously, that's what this episode is. We pulled takeaways and excerpts from some of the best conversations we had in the belief series, like Anne Lamott (ep #54) and Anthony Ray Hinton (ep #55) Special thanks to the Arthur Vining Davis Foundations, our production partner on the Belief series. Please subscribe, rate and review us wherever you listen to podcasts! We read and appreciate every review. Join Kelly on Instagram @kellycorrigan.
At 54 years old, after 29 years in California, we pulled up roots and moved. Here are some thoughts about embracing uncertainty and discovery in these weird midlife years. Share with anyone you know who is scanning real estate sites and wondering what else might be out there…
If you've ever been struck by the beauty of the phrase "Namaste" ("the light in me sees the light in you"), you'll want to tune into this episode. Kelly gets a masterclass in the world's third largest religion, with Suhag Shukla, Executive Director of the Hindu American Foundation. She discovers a surprisingly open belief system with many paths to the truth. You might also like the Rainn Wilson episode (#53) which touches on some of these same ideas. Namaste, indeed! Special thanks to the Arthur Vining Davis Foundations, our production partner on the Belief series. Please subscribe, rate and review us wherever you listen to podcasts! We read and appreciate every review. Join Kelly on Instagram @kellycorrigan.
Here’s my case for celebrating the litany of accomplishments that a completed college application represents. A special episode to mark November 1, the day that millions of high school kids hit send on their reach school. Please share with parents, students, college counselors and heads of school. May we all work to reset the goal line.
I am damn near hopeless with routers and a printer on the skids can take me around the bend. But, inspired by my mother and my husband and a friend, I remembered that hopeless is almost always an overstatement.
People think of religious freedom as America's greatest invention, but lately it seems like many religons are playing a zero sum game and calling into question this very premise our country was built upon. Devout Muslim Asma Uddin is a lawyer and a scholar who believes that it is her calling is to fight for the freedom of all religions. Special thanks to the Arthur Vining Davis Foundations, our production partner on the Belief series. Please subscribe, rate and review us wherever you listen to podcasts! We read and appreciate every review. Join Kelly on Instagram @kellycorrigan.
I often find the act of making something, like a painting, or fixing something, like a rip in my jeans, or cleaning something, like the junk drawer in my kitchen, to help unjam me on larger problems. Share this with anyone who seems stuck.
Evangelical Pastor Bob Roberts and Muslim Imam Mohamad Magid are both devout followers of their own faiths, who have found room to let one another in. In a friendship unlike any other, they lead retreats together with their own followers to illustrate the power of our common humanity. Special thanks to the Arthur Vining Davis Foundations, our production partner on the Belief series. Please subscribe, rate and review us wherever you listen to podcasts! We read and appreciate every review. Join Kelly on Instagram @kellycorrigan.
I always take special note of people who seem to live lives unlike any they themselves have seen. But when you ask these True Originals how they made up a reality from nothing, they all say the same thing: I met someone who had what I wanted and I watched carefully. Share this one with anyone wanting to make a move.
Johann Hari is an atheist with a passion for the power of our human connections and also the author of one of Kelly's favorite books called Lost Connections. He also did a Ted talk about the root causes of depression that has been viewed a mere 75 million times. He and Kelly share strories about the best of humanity and the worst -- through the lens of curiosity and compassion. Special thanks to the Arthur Vining Davis Foundations, our production partner on the Belief series. Please subscribe, rate and review us wherever you listen to podcasts! We read and appreciate every review. Join Kelly on Instagram @kellycorrigan.
I really believe that acceptance is the Mt Everest of human emotions—the hardest place to get to, the hardest place to stay, but the views are unforgettable. As I try to accept everything from lice to loss, I have found two words to be useful. Oh well. Share this with anyone who is fighting with reality.
Michael Lezak is a rabbi who spends most of his time in service, shoulder to shoulder with some of America’s poorest citizens in the Tenderloin district of San Francisco, living his faith day to day. He also leads pilgrimages from SF to Montgomery, Alabama to see Bryan Stevenson’s incredible memorial there and still manages to take a 25 hour break from technology every week. He and Kelly talk about how his devotion to his practice of Judaism enriches his life on the deepest level. Special thanks to the Arthur Vining Davis Foundations, our production partner on the Belief series. Please subscribe, rate and review us wherever you listen to podcasts! We read and appreciate every review. Join Kelly on Instagram @kellycorrigan.
You know the feeling you get when you look at a cool building or clouds from the plane window? When you watch a young person excel in anything — from tennis to American Idol? When you turn a corner and are met by chalk art or a show stopping window display? That’s awe and it’s powerful stuff and today’s GOTO wonders how it works and why.
In an episode like no other, Kelly talks with Anthony Ray Hinton, an American activist and author who was wrongly convicted of murder in Alabama in 1985, and exonerated after 30 years in prison. He credits his faith, imagination and the love of a very good mother, for getting him through those years. Special thanks to the Arthur Vining Davis Foundations, our production partner on the Belief series. SPECIAL NOTE: If you are moved by this episode and want to take action, please write letters to the Governor of your state asking them to abolish the death penalty and create conviction integrity units.
It was a bad day in a bad week. And then, there he was, The Husband, trying a trick we used to do with the girls. Smile therapy. Is it real? Did it work? Thoughts on forcing a mood shift by moving your facial muscles…
Celebrated for her raw, hilarious accounts of stumbling toward her best self, Anne Lamott is the New York Times bestselling author of more than 20 books. Her special brand of humility, grace and gratitude makes this a must-listen episode for anyone needing a dose of inspiration. Special thanks to the Arthur Vining Davis Foundations, our production partner on the Belief series. Please subscribe, rate and review us wherever you listen to podcasts! We read and appreciate every review. You can follow the conversation with Kelly on Instagram @kellycorrigan.
I moderated a panel of public media professionals recently and scribbled pages of notes as they talked through the pivotal moments in their careers. Absolutely had to share these 5 takeaways for anyone who is wondering what’s next and how am I gonna get there?
Known to the world as Dwight Schrute from the Office, the real Rainn Wilson is a deep thinker, writer, producer and a faithful follower of the Baha'i faith. Join us to learn about why his religion is the most important thing in his life and how it fits in perfectly fine in Hollywood. Special thanks to the Arthur Vining Davis Foundations, our production partner on the Belief series. Please subscribe, rate and review us wherever you listen to podcasts! We read and appreciate every review. You can follow the conversation with Kelly on Instagram @kellycorrigan.
Here’s some food for thought about how important it is to follow your kids wherever their interests take them.
Kelly kicks off a new series on BELIEF, delving into topics like the meaning of life, finding purpose, why faith, service and gratitude matter, and more with Dr. MIchael Murray, former Philosophy Professor and current President & CEO of the Arthur Vining Davis Foundations, our production partner on this series. Please subscribe, rate and review us wherever you listen to podcasts! We read and appreciate every review. You can follow the conversation with Kelly on Instagram @kellycorrigan.
Ages ago, M Scott Peck (of The Road Less Traveled) studied success (personal and professional) and was surprised to discover that all the people in his study had one thing in common: they all report the exact same “most important” thing. As I sink into the reality of an empty nest, I felt the need to remind myself that it is not my children’s job (nor is it Edward’s) to make me happy. Hope you find it useful and worth sharing and of course, come visit me on Instagram @kellycorrigan to give feedback.
As we conclude our "Mind the Gap" series, Kelly talks with parenting expert Dr. Lisa Damour and writer Will Leitch take a look at the ways in which different generations approach relationships with their parents and children. Please subscribe, rate and review us wherever you listen to podcasts! We read and appreciate every review. You can follow the conversation with Kelly on Instagram @kellycorrigan and read the essays from this episode on Medium.
After I dropped Claire off at college, I snuck in some time with my freshman year college roommate, Tracy Tuttle. On a long walk, we tried to reduce all our parenting insights into 2 go-to mantras. Mine was about listening more and talking less (“visualize the transcript”) and Tracy’s was think in terms of what’s helpful and what’s unhelpful rather than what’s right and wrong. Hope it’s helpful. Share widely and visit me on Instagram @kellycorrigan to tell me what your mantra is.
Kelly continues the "Mind the Gap" series with writer and podcaster, Manoush Zomorodi as they look at well-being and self care through the lens of different generations. The two touch on topics such as the commodification of self-care, staying true to oneself and the importance (or not) of dyeing your hair. Please subscribe, rate and review us wherever you listen to podcasts! We read and appreciate every review. You can follow the conversation with Kelly on Instagram @kellycorrigan and read the essays from this episode on Medium.
Okay so I went to a thing and I came home with a little case of the envies and then I found a bit of a book that helped me feel and think better about jealousy so I had to share…
As a part of our "Mind the Gap" series, Kelly and LinkedIn's Meg Garlinghouse discuss the meaning of work and what defines a job, a career or a calling. Kelly and writer Nir Eyal delve into the distractions faced by different generations and how being indistractable might just be the new superpower. Please subscribe, rate and review us wherever you listen to podcasts! We read and appreciate every review. You can follow the conversation with Kelly on Instagram @kellycorrigan and read the essays from this episode on Medium.
There’s unearned optimism based on forced positivity that’s so common right now in our feeds—and then there’s informed optimism. This one is for anyone who needs one piece of true and very good news. Share like a greeting card with the people you love.
Kelly launches the new "Mind the Gap" series and explores how different generations handle money with writer, educator and McArthur "Genius" Grant recipient Tressie McMillan Cottom. Tressie shares her thoughts, emotions and deeply ingrained habits when it comes to money...both new and old. Kelly remembers her mother's rather unique approach to gift-giving. Please subscribe, rate and review us wherever you listen to podcasts! We read and appreciate every review. You can follow the conversation with Kelly on Instagram @kellycorrigan and read the essays from this episode on Medium.
Kelly interviewed David Byrne in NYC a week ago for PBS and while she was prepping, she came across his very cool project: Reasons To Be Cheerful. This week’s GOTO is a short, inspiring story about a sick musician who is changing how hospitals sound. Everyone who has been in the bed or at the bedside will appreciate this one. Share like a greeting card. Tell people you’re thinking of them. And check out Reasons To Be Cheerful for more.
Kelly gets serious with SNL star Cecily Strong about her new book This Will All Be Over Soon, about the loss of her beloved cousin, Owen. Cecily also shares her pandemic love story and some behind-the-scenes scoop about Saturday Night Live. Please subscribe, rate and review us wherever you listen to podcasts! We read and appreciate every review. You can follow the conversation with Kelly on Instagram @kellycorrigan and read the essays from this episode on Medium.
A quick but substantial thought about how to feel better, based on a short bit of brilliance from Joahnn Hari’s book Lost Connections. Enjoy and share it like a greeting card with anyone who needs a little something good to kick off the weekend.
Kelly wraps up her series "Love Stories for a Weary World," with Medium writer Julio Vincent Gambuto, who fell in love during the pandemic. Julio talks about the ways Covid upended common dating practices and tipped the scales for deeper connection. Please subscribe, rate and review us wherever you listen to podcasts! We read and appreciate every review. You can follow the conversation with Kelly on Instagram @kellycorrigan and read the essays from this episode on Medium.
Kelly and Medium writer Michael Thompson trade stories of meeting their spouses for the first time in our summer series "Love Stories for a Weary World" and Kelly gives her takeaways on what makes love work. Please subscribe, rate and review us wherever you listen to podcasts! We read and appreciate every review. You can follow the conversation with Kelly on Instagram @kellycorrigan and read the essays from this episode on Medium.
Continuing our series "Love Stories for a Weary World," Kelly and renowned writer Susan Orlean talk about transitions in family life -- including the big one of becoming an empty nester. Kelly shares memories of early days with young children in this very personal episode. Please subscribe, rate and review us wherever you listen to podcasts! We read and appreciate every review. You can follow the conversation with Kelly on Instagram @kellycorrigan.
In this first episode in our series "Love Stories for a Weary World," Sarah Stankorb shares the story of losing (and finding) her voice -- and meeting her great love along the way -- with a disarming honesty. And Kelly tells the story of matching moods with her husband, while trying to find comfort during cancer treatment. Please subscribe, rate and review us wherever you listen to podcasts! We read and appreciate every review. You can follow the conversation with Kelly on Instagram @kellycorrigan and read the essays from this episode on Medium.com.
TAKE 2 TUESDAY: Replay of Episode #3 // Dani Shapiro is the author of 9 books and the host of the popular podcast Family Secrets. She is curious about the things we hide from each other and the consequences of keeping these secrets. Dani and Kelly consider the courage required to know more about everything from our DNA and our government to what's in our kids' texts, our air and our food.
TAKE 2 TUESDAY: Re-play of Episode #1 // Kelly and Kate Bowler dive into that phrase so often offered up to explain bad stuff: "everything happens for a reason." Kate is a divinity professor at Duke University and the bestselling author of three books. She has a beloved podcast called Everything Happens. At a time when so much feels unexplainable, Kate and Kelly wonder if this phrase offers actual comfort or does just the opposite. In this poignant and, strangely, also often hilarious, conversation, Kelly and Kate discuss the difference between finding meaning and making meaning, a life skill we'd all be well served to develop.
Imbolo Mbue's journey took her from Cameroon to New Jersey, and ultimately to Oprah's house. The bestselling author of Behold the Dreamers and How Beautiful We Were describes the very best of America with charm and realism -- from being warmly welcomed as a college student and observing true freedom for the first time to witnessing crippling poverty and our "race to nowhere" mentality. Please subscribe, rate and review us wherever you listen to podcasts! We read and appreciate every review. You can follow the conversation with Kelly on Instagram @kellycorrigan.
Kelly shares a graduation speech, a conversation about takeaways from high school with her daughter and a special reading with Oscar winning actress Helen Hunt. If you love the episode, please share and review. We read and appreciate every comment. You can follow the conversation with Kelly on Instagram @kellycorrigan.
How do understanding and approval factor into kindness? Are we only nice to the people we "get"? How can we change the way we think about who is deserving of love, respect and kindness? (hint: it's everyone). Carvell Wallace has thoughts on all of this and more. He's a writer, a thinker and a creative who has written powerful profiles of artists, actors, activists and is also the curious mind behind the podcast Finding Fred, about Mr. Rogers. If you enjoy this conversation, make sure to check out Episode #4: Trust your Gut? with Annie Jean Baptiste. Please subscribe, rate and review us wherever you listen to podcasts! We read and appreciate every review. You can follow the conversation with Kelly on Instagram @kellycorrigan.
Austin Channing Brown is an author, activist and thought leader. She's tired of explaining what it's like to be black, but her insight and passion is irresistible. Here's a conversation that will linger in your mind as much for the points of connection as for the points of tension. For everyone committed to learning and understanding more about race, this is an episode to share and discuss. Please subscribe, rate and review us wherever you listen to podcasts! We read and appreciate every review. You can follow the conversation with Kelly on Instagram @kellycorrigan.
67 million of us are estranged from a family member. 85% of us are in regular conflict at work. The country is split on every issue from masks to education, health care to policing. Kelly asks journalist and bestselling author of High Conflict, Amanda Ripley where we go from here.
Karen Moon is a therapist who cut her teeth counseling bankers after tragedies like the Oklahoma City bombing and 9/11. For 15 years she's been helping high school and college kids with anxiety, depression and change.
Kelly and Jen Hatmaker test drive the questions from Kelly's new children's book Hello World! to see what new things they can learn about each other. From celebrating favorite holidays to bouncing back from unexpected change and loss, these two old friends cover much ground and show us all how to find meaningful connection with the people we love -- and maybe even with those we don't yet know we love. If you enjoy this episode, make sure to listen to Episode #24, Kelly's conversation with Anna Quindlen and Anna Sale about misunderstandings in Family life. Please subscribe, rate and review us wherever you listen to podcasts! We read and appreciate every review. You can follow the conversation with Kelly on Instagram @kellycorrigan.
In honor of teachers everywhere, Kelly shares a conversation with her friend, Oakland Unified Teacher of the year, Tontra Love. While Ms. Love normally teaches kindergartners, it turns out she has lots to teach all of us -- especially about how to interact more lovingly with one another, disagree peacefully and imagine what it's like to be in someone else's shoes. If you enjoy this episode, make sure to listen to Kelly's conversation about higher education, Episode #21 "What's the point of college?" Please subscribe, rate and review us wherever you listen to podcasts! We read and appreciate every review. You can follow the conversation with Kelly on Instagram @kellycorrigan.
Kelly tracks down Yale Philosophy professor and the Dean of Arts & Sciences, Tamar Gendler, to discuss the great ancient philosophers’ take on our human nature and how it relates to modern happiness. Dean Gendler's studied academic and historical perspective on what makes us tick will definitely leave you feeling smarter, deeper and full of understanding about yourself and your fellow humans. If you enjoy this episode, make sure to check out Kelly’s other conversations about human nature with writers George Saunders, Margaret Atwood, Jia Tolentino and Brit Bennett. Please subscribe, rate and review us wherever you listen to podcasts! We read and appreciate every review. You can follow the conversation with Kelly on Instagram @kellycorrigan.
This week, Kelly continues her series with authors on human nature with Brit Bennett, the brilliant mind behind the bestselling book, The Vanishing Half, which just sold to HBO for the small screen. They cover the unfortunate way we're all categorized for marketing purposes, and why curiosity is paramount to us becoming a better species. Please subscribe, rate and review us wherever you listen to podcasts! We read and appreciate every review. You can follow the conversation with Kelly on Instagram @kellycorrigan.
Kelly talks with New Yorker staff writer Jia Tolentino about identity, culture and the irresistable manipulation of the internet. Jia is a 32-year old intellectual phenom who just came out with her first book of essays called Trick Mirror. She's part feminist, part radical thinker and part cultural critic, and she has a lot to say about what it means to be human in today's world.
Alongside renowned Canadian poet, novelist and activist Margaret Atwood, Kelly continues a series on Human Nature. They discuss why life together is sometimes very hard and other times truly delightful, through the lense of the very best and worst parts of our nature. Please subscribe, rate and review us wherever you listen to podcasts! We read and appreciate every review. You can follow the conversation with Kelly on Instagram @kellycorrigan.
Kelly kicks off a series on Human Nature with celebrated author George Saunders. They go deep on virtue, vice, our tricky egos, and finding empathy for ourselves and others. Please subscribe, rate and review us wherever you listen to podcasts! We read and appreciate every review. You can follow the conversation with Kelly on Instagram @kellycorrigan.
Kelly concludes her series with Anna Quindlen and Anna Sale by diving into the joy of the "work" we're paid for (and how it can give us permission to be bolder than we've been conditioned to be) and the challenge of the "work" of family life, when we're reconciling differences over money and oversimplifying things with snap judgments. Please subscribe, rate and review us wherever you listen to podcasts! We read and appreciate every review. You can follow the conversation with Kelly on Instagram @kellycorrigan.
Grudges, overbearing "wisdom" and selfish behavior are all hallmarks of even the most functional families. Kelly asks Pulitzer Prize winner Anna Quindlen and award-winning podcaster Anna Sale about mistakes they've made in family life, and how they've found and given forgiveness. If you like this conversation, make sure to listen to Episode #8: "Three Stories of Extraordinary Forgiveness with Wanda Holland Greene." And please subscribe, rate and review us wherever you listen to podcasts! We read and appreciate every review. You can follow the conversation with Kelly on Instagram @kellycorrigan.
Eventually grief, which is searing, becomes loss, which is more like an ache that comes and goes. Kelly asks Pulitzer Prize winner Anna Quindlen and award winning podcaster Anna Sale about what and how they have grieved. Together, they share passages and riff about how to find meaning in loss. If you found this episode useful, make sure to listen to Kelly's conversation with palliative care doc BJ Miller, episode #11, "Losing the Ones We Love." And please subscribe, rate and review us wherever you listen to podcasts! We read and appreciate every review. You can follow the conversation with Kelly on Instagram @kellycorrigan.
Kelly continues her deep dive on family life with the help of Anna Quindlen, the Pulitzer Prize winning writer, and Anna Sale, the host of Death, Sex & Money and author of Let's Talk About Hard Things. Together, they read from their own works and riff on how family dynamics shift and change over time as kids become parents, parents become grandparents and everyone (hopefully) grows up. From parsing delicate in-law dynamics to learning what it takes to actually like your spouse to understanding our own motives as we make close calls, Kelly and The Annas break it down. If this episode was useful to you, you’ll probably really like Kelly's conversation with Annie Jean Baptiste that questions how much we can really trust our gut. And please subscribe, rate and review us wherever you listen to podcasts! We read every review. You can follow the conversation with Kelly on Instagram @kellycorrigan.
This month, Kelly finds herself between two Annas -- Anna Quindlen, the Pulitzer Prize winning writer, and Anna Sale, the host of WNYC's popular Death, Sex & Money podcast. Together, they read excerpts from their books and riff on how terribly easy it is to misunderstand each other in family life. From thinking you’re not "a divorce kinda person" to overestimating our influence as parents, love is rife with misunderstandings. Here’s a conversation that will help you find your way out of what tangle you might be in at the moment. If this episode was useful to you, you’ll probably really like Kelly's conversation with Wanda Holland Greene on Finding Agency. And please subscribe, rate and review us wherever you listen to podcasts! We read and appreciate every review. You can follow the conversation with Kelly on Instagram @kellycorrigan.
Kelly couldn't help but notice that many of our conversations about how change happens offered up some of the exact same beats, despite the wide variety of changes we discussed. Jump into this conversation and take notes you'll want to post on your refrigerator. Follow the conversation on Instagram @kellycorrigan.
With nearly unlimited financial and intellectual resources at her disposal, Melinda Gates is committed to addressing the problems holding women back all over the world - from their limited educational opportunities to maternal health challenges and more. Kelly and Melinda dissect how making critical systemic improvements for women will change not only their lives and their families, but has the best potential to change the world. Follow the conversation on Instagram @kellycorrigan.
Kelly talks with a range of guests in this episode about the changing face of higher education, the value of a cross-disciplinary liberal arts approach and the danger of a one-size-fits-all college experience. Kelly's guests include: her daughter, Georgia Lichty - a sophomore at Georgetown University, Tara Westover - the author of Educated, Lande Ajose - the senior policy advisor for education for the state of California, and Jeremy Rossmann - MIT dropout and founder of The Make School. Follow the conversation on Instagram @kellycorrigan.
Very few of us gaze contentedly into the mirror and are happy with our bodies. In this episode, Kelly dives into the dangers of our obsession with body image in a candid conversation with therapist Ariel and her client Lindsay about eating disorders, triggers and recovery. A must listen. IMPORTANT NOTE: This episode does include references to eating disorders which some listeners may find troubling. Listener discretion is advised. Follow the conversation on Instagram @kellycorrigan.
From San Quentin inmate to neighborhood safety advocate, Kelly’s guest Sam Vaughn embodies the ideal of “be the change you want to see.” Working with DeVone Boggan, Kelly’s other guest and the charismatic leader of Advance Peace, this duo shares how they nurture violent criminals into a better future, one small step at a time, with the care and attention of a devoted parent. Follow the conversation on Instagram @kellycorrigan.
Kelly talks to Alex, an insightful and forthcoming 15 year old who is transitioning from a girl to a boy, as well as his mother about how you know you have to change and the series of decisions, losses and gains found along the way. Follow the conversation on Instagram @kellycorrigan.
Both Congresswoman Barbara Lee and human rights attorney Jessica Jackson went through college as single mothers, relying on some form of public assistance. They've since gone on to make big changes in our country, from both inside and outside of government. Kelly talks to each of them to get a big old reminder about the power of our democracy and the promise of liberty and justice for all. Follow the conversation on Instagram @kellycorrigan.
When you are a woman who is dead sure she wants to be a mother and the universe is not cooperating, how can you bend reality to your dreams? Lori Gottlieb (author of Maybe You Should Talk to Someone) and Kelly's friend Tracy Defina reflect on finding their way into the job they always wanted: parenthood. Follow the conversation on Instagram @kellycorrigan.
What to make of 2020? How to process the election and the pandemic, drastic changes in the the economy and the environment? Yeesh. Kelly combed through everything she's written down in 2020 and found ten things worth a second look--and maybe even worth celebrating. Follow the conversation on Instagram @kellycorrigan.
Kelly's mom spends part of every day in a Catholic Church, as did her father his entire life. Kelly is wondering how a spiritual orientation changes a person in this conversation with scholar Eboo Patel. They cover how faith has evolved in the lives of everyday Americans, and how thinking of us as a "potluck nation" rather than a melting pot might help us to make better sense of our differences. Follow the conversation on Instagram @kellycorrigan.
Climate Scientist and TED Talker Katharine Hayhoe is equally interested in the obvious ecological collapse as she is in how to talk so people will listen. She and Kelly break down the moves and messages that do and don't work when trying to change global attitudes and save our planet. Kelly's 17 year-old Claire jumps in to talk about the power of Planet Earth and protests and stories of extinction. Follow the conversation on Instagram @kellycorrigan.
In the wake of losing her father and her friend, Kelly wonders what the end of life can teach us with BJ Miller, a triple amputee, bestselling author and palliative care doc. BJ offers his own personal stories as well as universal takeaways from the bedsides of hundreds whom he has helped usher out of this world. Follow the conversation on Instagram @kellycorrigan.
Starting in college and not stopping until long after law school, Rich Roll regularly, deliberately, got black out drunk. He is now a widely respected wellness advocate and athlete. He and Kelly talk about the long road of tiny adjustments that have led to his transformation into an ultra marathoner, bestselling author and podcaster whose conversations are valued by millions. Follow the conversation on Instagram @kellycorrigan.
On the heels of the series with Wanda Holland Greene about forgiveness, agency, self awareness and finding common ground, Kelly takes a list of lingering questions to world class psychologist, Dacher Keltner at UC Berkeley, and asks him everything she ever wanted to know about why we do the weird things we do. And the answers are fantastic. Follow the conversation on Instagram @kellycorrigan.
Forgiveness may be the most advanced intellectual and emotional move we make as humans. It is a complete override of our innate nature to categorize friend and foe. Along with thought leader Wanda Holland Greene, Kelly brings to life three unforgettable stories of forgiveness from around the world. Follow the conversation on Instagram @kellycorrigan.
Self awareness involves understanding how our behavior affects others. It is fundamental for any functioning society and relationship. Wanda Holland Greene and Kelly talk about body language, tone of voice, word choice, the terrible tendency to let ourselves off the hook and learning to listen to people who give us the straight truth.
Thanks to an election where many states came down to razor thin margins, we may have a renewed sense of our agency as voters. But what about agency over our emotions, our bodies, our relationships and careers? Educator and thought leader, Wanda Holland Greene, brings everything she's learned from her time at Columbia to her years leading The Hamlin School as she and Kelly work through what acts of agency are always available to us.
Renowned educator Wanda Holland Greene joins Kelly to dig into finding common ground with absolutely anyone, even people we think we hate. They discuss the transformative power of discovering the many things we all share.
Annie Jean Baptiste in the Head of Product Inclusion at Google where she spends her time thinking about the products we use very day and how who's at the meeting determines what gets discussed, designed and built. Annie and Kelly wonder about confirmation bias, who we're drawn to, both at work and in our personal lives, and how our lizard brain keeps luring us into fight or flight responses that limit our growth and potential.
Dani Shapiro is the author of 9 books and the host of Family Secrets. She is curious about the things we hide from each other and the consequences of keeping secrets. Dani and Kelly consider the courage to know more about our DNA, our government and what's in our kids' texts, our air and our food.
Nadia Bolz Weber is known for calling a spade a spade in three bestselling memoirs and on her podcast, The Confessional. She is stand up comic turned Lutheran minister who refuses to oversimplify, engage in cheap positivity or humlebrag. Nadia and Kelly wonder together about the things we do in the name of consistency and how to make the call about what to let go of and what to never give up on.
Kelly and Kate Bowler dive into that phrase so often offered up to explain bad stuff: "everything happens for a reason." Kate is a divinity professor at Duke University and the bestselling author of three books. She has a beloved podcast called Everything Happens. At a time when so much feels unexplainable, Kate and Kelly wonder if this phrase offers actual comfort or does just the opposite. In this poignant and, strangely, also often hilarious, conversation, Kelly and Kate discuss the difference between finding meaning and making meaning, a life skill we'd all be well served to develop.
Welcome to Kelly Corrigan Wonders, a place for people who like to laugh while they think and find it useful to look closely at ourselves and our weird ways in the hopes that knowing more and feeling more will help us do more and be better. A former newspaper columnist and four time bestselling author, Kelly wonders about loads of stuff: is knowing more always good? Can we trust our gut? How does change actually happen? We only book nice people who have a sense of humor and know things worth knowing. Each episode ends with Kelly’s shortlist of takeaways, appropriate for refrigerator doors, bulletin boards and notes to your children.