KERA's Think: Recent Episodes
KERA
Think is a daily, topic-driven interview and call-in program hosted by Krys Boyd covering a wide variety of topics ranging from history, politics, current events, science, technology and emerging trends to food and wine, travel, adventure, and entertainment.
In the fight for racial justice, it’s important to highlight success stories when they happen. Ruha Benjamin is professor of African American Studies at Princeton University and founding director of the school’s Ida B. Wells Just Data Lab. She joins host Krys Boyd to talk about emerging racial justice programs and policies making a difference and the inspiration we can take from that work to do better in our own lives. Her book is “Viral Justice: How We Grow the World We Want.”
Confronting racism means reckoning with harmful stereotypes. Omékongo Dibinga is a poet and senior professorial lecturer of intercultural communication at American University. He joins host Krys Boyd to discuss the road to anti-racism by taking on the lies that persist today that undermine Black lives, and to offer ways to reset our thinking toward a future of equality. His book is “Lies about Black People: How to Combat Racist Stereotypes and Why It Matters.”
In World War II, 350,000 American women served in uniform. Lena S. Andrews is a military analyst for the Central Intelligence Agency. She joins host Krys Boyd to discuss the women who filled many roles — from codebreakers to parachute riggers — who fought and died for this country and whose stories are not often told. Her book is “Valiant Women: The Extraordinary American Servicewomen Who Helped Win World War II.”
If you loathe math, it might be because of the way it was taught to you, not math itself. Eugenia Cheng is scientist in residence at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago and honorary visiting fellow at City University of London. She joins guest host Courtney Collins to discuss why we should approach math education as a journey of imagination, and why there are no dumb questions in the search for answers. Her book is called “Is Math Real?: How Simple Questions Lead Us to Mathematics’ Deepest Truths.”
YA novels often focus on school and dating – but they are increasingly trusting readers to engage with heavier topics. That’s the case with “For Lamb,” which follows a lynching and encourages young adult readers to dive deep into the darker side of American history. Lesa Cline-Ransome is the book’s author, and she joins guest host Courtney Collins to talk about the story, which follows a girl named Lamb navigating the friendships and dangers of the Jim Crow South for a young Black girl.
During the pandemic, the worlds of science and politics became entwined. Jason Blakely is a Harper’s Magazine contributor and associate professor of political science at Pepperdine. He joins host Krys Boyd to discuss what he calls “scientism,” when scientific authority silences political debate, and why relying on data might not always be the best approach to problem solving in a crisis. His essay is “Doctor’s Orders.”
State universities used to be bargains – these days, not so much. So where are those big schools spending students’ skyrocketing tuition? Wall Street Journal higher education reporter Melissa Korn joins host Krys Boyd to discuss a look into 50 flagship state universities and how inflows of cash are not necessarily benefiting students – and how those schools justify their decisions. Her article is “Colleges spend like there’s no tomorrow.”
There’s neuroscience behind why you love that Taylor Swift banger. Susan Rogers is a cognitive neuroscientist and professor at Berklee College of Music, as well as a multiplatinum record producer. She joins host Krys Boyd to discuss why our brains respond to certain music, our music personality types, and how music can shape identity. Her book, written with co-author Ogi Ogas, is “This is What it Sounds Like: What the Music You Love Says About You.”
When you feel like you can’t trust someone, the rest of the relationship pretty much breaks down from there. Peter Kim, professor of management and organization at the Marshall School of Business at the University of Southern California, joins host Krys Boyd to discuss how trust is created and, maybe more importantly, how it can be restored. His book is “How Trust Works: The Science of How Relationships Are Built, Broken, and Repaired.”
On TV it looks so easy: CPR done right saves lives. But that’s not the whole story. Dr. Sunita Puri is program director of the Hospice and Palliative Medicine Fellowship at the University of Massachusetts Chan School of Medicine, where she is an associate professor of clinical medicine. She joins host Krys Boyd to discuss why the aftermath of CPR is rarely talked about – usually because it involves a life that has been saved but not fully restored. Her article in The New Yorker is “The Hidden Harms of CPR.”
One way to help ward off dementia is to make sure your hearing is as good as possible. Frank R. Lin is director of the Cochlear Center for Hearing and Public Health, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health and professor of otolaryngology, head and neck surgery. He joins Krys Boyd to discuss why we shouldn’t brush off hearing loss as a symptom of old age and the connection between good hearing and cognitive health. His study “Hearing intervention versus health education control to reduce cognitive decline in older adults with hearing loss in the USA” was published in The Lancet.
For conspiracy theorists dedicated to the moon landing, Bigfoot and UFOs, the development of QAnon, crisis actors and government false flags have introduced unwanted political and financial elements to their favorite pastime. Annie Kelly is a postdoctoral researcher working on conspiracy theories and a correspondent for the podcast “QAnon Anonymous.” She joins host Krys Boyd to talk about how these old-school skeptics raised on late-night call-in radio fear modern day conspiracy theorists are giving their passion a bad name. Her recent New York Times essay is headlined “Even Conspiracy Theorists are Alarmed by What They’ve Seen.”
Animals make a cacophony of sounds – from bird chirps to dog barks to whale songs. Ever wonder what they’re saying to each other? Nicholas Mathevon is a professor specializing in bioacoustics, and he joins host Krys Boyd to talk about how animals use sound to intimidate, mate, emote and more. His book is “The Voices of Nature: How and Why Animals Communicate.”
As drug laws loosen up nationwide, users and those who care for them are evolving the way they think about some illicit substances. This hour, we’ll talk specifically about two categories with growing user bases: cannabis and psychedelics. We’ll start with a conversation with Washington Post reporter David Ovalle, who reported recently on people who develop dependencies and even addictions to marijuana – and how their conditions are often not taken all that seriously. And then we’ll speak with Wired contributor Chris Colin, who wrote about the growing community of facilitators who guide users through a psychedelic experience – and about how our societal views of psychedelics have evolved since these drugs were introduced.
Insights derived from clinical trials is what pushes medicine forward. And when a trial is conducted in error – or sometimes even fraudulently – the repercussions can reach far and wide. Richard Van Noorden is an editor for the journal Nature, and he joins Krys Boyd to talk about how bias, error and, yes, even fraud, infect clinical trials – and what can be done to clean them up. His recent article is headlined “Medicine is plagued by untrustworthy clinical trials. How many studies are faked or flawed?”
The world offers a lot to stimulate our senses – so much, in fact, that it’s hard to pay attention these days on any one thing. Christian Madsbjerg joins us to talk about how we can recapture our ability to focus on things that matter and reestablish our connection to the people around us. His book is called “Look: How to Pay Attention in a Distracted World.”
Elon Musk’s Space X has 4,500 satellites circling the globe, worrying military and political leaders. Cade Metz is a technology reporter for The New York Times. He joins host Krys Boyd to discuss Starlink, the satellite internet company Musk runs that accounts for more than 50 percent of all active satellites, and the issues it’s raising for global security. His article is “Elon Musk’s Unmatched Power in the Stars.”
Being a trans student in school means navigating political and administrative landmines. Aidan Key is a speaker, author and educator on issues related to gender inclusion, is the founder of GenderDiversity.org and TransFamilies.org. He joins host Krys Boyd to discuss practical tips for parents and school staff to approach trans students with a sense of welcoming, creating a safe space for them to learn. His book is “Trans Children in Today’s Schools.”
Hindsight is 20/20 after falling for a scam; the trick is avoiding one in the first place. Daniel Simons is professor in the department of psychology at the University of Illinois, where he directs the Visual Cognition Laboratory. He joins host Krys Boyd to discuss the many ways we get taken for a ride and the faulty thinking that got us there so we can be aware next time. His book, written with co-author Christopher Chabris, is “Nobody’s Fool: Why We Get Taken In and What We Can Do about It.”
Social media pressures to look and be the best can be crushing — but it doesn’t have to be this way. Thomas Curran, professor of psychology at the London School of Economics, joins host Krys Boyd to discuss how freeing ourselves of the drive to be perfect can actually make us better at our jobs and in life. His book is “The Perfection Trap: Embracing the Power of Good Enough.”
With the latest ruling knocking down student loan debt relief, the Supreme Court showed its power over the executive branch. Ian Millhiser is a senior correspondent at Vox, and he joins host Krys Boyd to discuss the “major questions doctrine,” which allows the court to veto actions by a federal agency for economic or political reasons, and why its use picked up when President Biden took office. His article is “How the Supreme Court put itself in charge of the executive branch.”
When a scholar is offered the chance to authenticate a lost masterwork, a mystery unfolds. Best-selling author Brenden Slocum joins guest host Courtney Collins to discuss themes of authorship, authenticity and art from his novel about uncovering the truth about a composer’s legacy. His book is “Symphony of Secrets.”
Across the globe, studies show that men are less fertile, which has created quite the business opportunity. Simon van Zuylen-Wood is a features writer at New York magazine, and he joins host Krys Boyd to discuss a burgeoning industry of at-home sperm testing and whether or not amping up reproduction should be a priority for our warming, resource-strapped planet. His article is “Sperm Fever.”
We’ve all seen the signs for “We Buy Ugly Houses” – what’s really going on with this business practice? ProPublica reporter Anjeanette Damon joins host Krys Boyd to discuss their long look into how HomeVestors of America acquires homes, and the way the business model is set up to reward franchisees. The article is “The Ugly Truth Behind “We Buy Ugly Houses.’”
Is deprogramming teens from porn addiction as cruel as harmful conversion therapies for LGBTQ populations? Historian and journalist Hallie Lieberman joins host Krys Boyd to discuss wilderness programs that purport to treat porn addiction with questionable methods and, critics say, promote abuse. Her article “Inside an Abusive Anti-Porn Camp for Teens” was published in Reason Magazine.
Nigeria has the highest global concentration of sickle cell disease in its population. Harper’s contributor Krithika Varagur joins host Krys Boyd to discuss Nigeria’s approach to “genetic responsibility,” and what couples are up against when they meet a mate whose genes when combined with their own could produce a child with the painful disease. Her article is “Love in the Time of Sickle Cell Disease.”
Shows like “The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air” and “My So-Called Life” were pioneers of prestige TV in that they took the experiences of teenagers seriously. Entertainment journalist Thea Glassman joins host Krys Boyd to make the case that teen shows of yesterday paved the way for today’s diverse, complex and compelling teen storylines. Her book is “Freaks, Gleeks, and Dawson’s Creek.”
Lab-grown meat is here. Who’s going to eat it? Annie Lowrey, staff writer at The Atlantic, joins host Krys Boyd to discuss the new world of “cultivated meat” – animal proteins combined with other chemicals to produce the texture and flavor of meats – and how manufacturers are hoping to make them taste even better than the real thing. Her article is “Open Your Mind to Unicorn Meat.”
The pandemic kept us apart; it’s time to rediscover the beauty of being together. Andy Field is an artist, writer and curator, and he joins host Krys Boyd to discuss the magic of life in cities surrounded by strangers, and the ways we can interact with people to spark creativity. His book is “Encounterism: The Neglected Joys of Being In Person.”
For much of Hollywood history, the myth of the model minority has limited the roles available to Asian-American actors. Matt Stevens is an arts and culture reporter for The New York Times. He joins host Krys Boyd to discuss the new wave of angry, messy and action-oriented roles for Asian-American actors – from “Beef” to “Everything Everywhere All at Once” – and how this evolution has chipped away at harmful stereotypes. His article is “For Asian American Actors, Playing a Hot Mess Is Liberating.”
What would the Star Wars or Indiana Jones movies be without their memorable musical scores? Frank Lehman, associate professor of music at Tufts University, joins host Krys Boyd to discuss the brilliance of composer John Williams, whose oeuvre augments the action and adventure of the modern classics we love. His article in the New York Times is “How to Write Music for Rolling Boulders.”
The upcoming “Barbie” movie will introduce the beloved doll to a new generation. At the same time, older generations are pondering why she’s even still around? Kelly Gilblom, global business editor for Bloomberg News, joins host Krys Boyd to talk about the gamble Warner Bros. is taking on Barbie – and the attempted modernization of Mattel behind the scenes. The article, written with Thomas Buckley, is “Barbie Goes to the Movies.”
TV and movie actors have joined Hollywood writers for the biggest strike in four decades. Dominic Patten, senior editor for Deadline, joins host Krys Boyd to discuss the move, which has effectively shut down the industry as negotiations with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers broke down. Plus, we’ll hear how streaming and A.I. have brought new complications into discussions of fair wages, royalties and studio profits.
Behind ChatGPT or Bard, there’s a programmer who cataloged every single item in play. Josh Dzieza, an investigations editor covering tech, business and climate change for The Verge, joins host Krys Boyd to discuss the tedious work it takes to create the artificial intelligence that seems so quick and breezy – and his own crack at the job that confounded him. His article is “AI Is a Lot of Work.”
Behind the comfort of an old book is the wild story of how it got to your home. Oliver Darkshire is an antiquarian bookseller at Henry Sotheran Ltd., and he joins host Krys Boyd to discuss one of the world’s oldest bookshops and a profession that makes more memories than it does money. His new book is “Once Upon a Tome: The Misadventures of a Rare Bookseller.”
Next time you reach for that bag of chips, you might be surprised by the very long list of ingredients on the bag. Chris van Tulleken, associate professor at University College London and a practicing infectious diseases doctor, joins host Krys Boyd to discuss ultra-processed foods and how their manufacturers create products designed for profit over people. His book is “Ultra-Processed People: The Science Behind the Food That Isn’t Food.”
The term “Latino” covers a vast array of experiences – new immigrants from Guatemala, third-generation Mexican-Americans and many, many others. Héctor Tobar, Pulitzer Prize–winning journalist and novelist, joins host Krys Boyd to discuss his conversations with a multitude of voices identifying as Latino in the U.S. and the many ways they contribute history and culture to the American landscape. His book is “Our Migrant Souls: A Meditation on Race and the Meanings and Myths of ‘Latino.'”
Who makes the best doctor? When is the best time of year to have a baby? Answers to questions like these are in medical data. Dr. Anupam B. Jena is an economist, physician, the Joseph P. Newhouse Professor of Health Care Policy at Harvard and host of the Freakonomics, MD podcast. He joins host Krys Boyd to discuss questions you can consider in advance of a health event to be better prepared to make solid decisions when the time comes to see a doctor. His book, co-authored with Dr. Christopher M Worsham, is “Random Acts of Medicine: The Hidden Forces That Sway Doctors, Impact Patients, and Shape Our Health.”
For a great example of public housing practices, look to Vienna, Austria. Francesca Mari, contributing writer for The New York Times Magazine, joins host Krys Boyd to discuss the way housing is set up in Vienna and why it’s become a model for building wealth and security for even low-income renters. Her article is “Imagine a Renters’ Utopia. It Might Look Like Vienna.”
The search for life in the universe helps reaffirm what it means to be human. Jaime Green is a science writer and series editor of The Best American Science and Nature Writing. She joins host Krys Boyd to discuss the science, even science fiction, that inspires astronomers to look for life in the cosmos and what it means for those of us living back on Earth. Her book is “The Possibility of Life: Science, Imagination, and Our Quest for Kinship in the Cosmos.”
If you need a souvenir from a great trip, was it all that memorable to begin with? Agnes Callard, associate professor in philosophy at the University of Chicago, joins host Krys Boyd to discuss why our wanderlust might be just a panacea for staving off the hands of time and how we may need to rethink our global adventures. Her essay “The Case Against Travel” was published in The New Yorker.
Affirmative action had been in place for decades, now schools must fine-tune the process. Bertrand Cooper joins host Krys Boyd to make the case that race-conscious admissions by universities frequently benefit students who are already from elite backgrounds and that it’s time to also consider socioeconomic status if we’re ever going to actually level the playing field. His article in The Atlantic is “The Failure of Affirmative Action.”
Feeling stuck in life is common, but good news: There are tried and true strategies for greasing the wheels. Adam Alter is professor of marketing and the Stansky Teaching Excellence Faculty Fellow at New York University’s Stern School of Business. He also holds an affiliated professorship in social psychology at NYU’s psychology department. He joins host Krys Boyd to discuss the emotions, thoughts and behaviors that hold us back — and tricks for flourishing amid our anxiety. His book is “Anatomy of a Breakthrough: How to Get Unstuck When It Matters Most.”
Billions of dollars are being stolen from individuals, businesses and governments … and banks are turning a blind eye. Kurt Eichenwald, senior investigative editor at The Conversation, joins host Krys Boyd to discuss his reporting into sham bank accounts being opened by crime rings with real and fake identities and the large profits they make for financial institutions. His article written with David Maimon is called “Heists Worth Billions.”
Whether you realize it or not, your beauty routine is very likely imported from South Korea. Elise Hu is a correspondent and host-at-large for NPR and host of TED Talks Daily. She joined host Krys Boyd to discuss K-beauty – which prioritizes perfection – its reach across the globe, and the consumerism that has crept into our very skin. Her book is “Flawless: Lessons in Looks and Culture from the K-Beauty Capital.”
Translating the credible fear interviews of asylum seekers means finding the language to accurately relay trauma. Alejandra Oliva is an essayist, translator and immigrant justice advocate, and she joins host Krys Boyd to discuss her work as a translator on the border, how it relates to her life as a Mexican-American woman, and what it takes to actually become a U.S. citizen. Her book is “Rivermouth: A Chronicle of Language, Faith, and Migration.”
The Fair Housing Act recognized more than half a century ago that with redlining and racist policies, neighborhoods were never segregated by choice. Leah Rothstein is a consultant to affordable housing developers and local governments, and she joins host Krys Boyd to discuss solutions to alleviate inequalities that remain in communities to this day. Her book, written with her co-author and father Richard Rothstein, is called “Just Action: How to Challenge Segregation Enacted Under the Color of Law.”
If you dread small talk and squirm in the corner at parties, the return to in-person get-togethers has probably been unwelcome. Julie Beck, senior editor at The Atlantic, joins host Krys Boyd to discuss how we can regain that pre-pandemic confidence in social situations. Her podcast is “How to Talk to People.”
President Joe Biden is 80-years old, and he’s soon to ask the American people for four more years in office. Vanity Fair contributing editor Chris Smith joins host Krys Boyd to discuss the ways both Republican and Democratic strategists view President Biden’s age and how voters might assess his abilities. His article is “The Question of Joe Biden’s Age: ‘It’s a Legitimate Concern.'”
Good news: A bowl of ice cream might be good for you. And researchers are now trying to figure out why. David Merritt Johns is a journalist and public health historian, and he joins host Krys Boyd to discuss the surprising results of studies about food that’s traditionally been considered off-limits, and what it says about scientific experimentation and unconscious bias baked into the system. His article published in The Atlantic is “Nutrition science’s most preposterous result.”
Finding fossils from the Ice Age is difficult; finding fossils of children in the Ice Age is next to impossible. April Nowell, Paleolithic archaeologist and professor of anthropology at the University of Victoria in Canada, joins host Krys Boyd to discuss the efforts to uncover the mysteries of childhood in the Ice Age, what raising children meant for evolution and society, and how archeologists attempt to find traces of the past. Her article in Aeon is “Children of the Ice Age.”
A lesser-discussed threat of climate change is the loss of biodiversity due to the encroachment of invasive species. Wired contributor Sonya Bennett-Brandt joins host Krys Boyd to discuss the plants that kill native flora and choke ecosystems – and the people who are dispatched to quell the spread. Her article is “The Secret Life of Plant Killers.”
Even with cultural messaging about body positivity, talking to children about weight is still tricky. Journalist Virginia Sole-Smith joins guest host Courtney Collins to discuss the ways we talk about bigger bodies, dieting and inclusion with kids – and about the pressures parents feel to get it right. Her book is “Fat Talk: Parenting in the Age of Diet Culture.”
You know who thinks open-office designs are a good idea? People with offices. Scientific American contributing editor George Musser joins host Krys Boyd to discuss how the open-office plan took off, the downsides its designers didn’t anticipate, and what a better office layout might look like. His article is “Fixing the Hated Open-Design Office.”
Sometimes joy can be found in moments of relief from life’s burdens. Ross Gay is an author and poet who teaches at Indiana University, and he joins host Krys Boyd to discuss his essay collection about finding meaning in bleak times to create compassion, hope, and to better connect to our shared humanity. His book is “Inciting Joy: Essays.”
Some megaprojects, like the Empire State Building, are success stories while others, like Boston’s Big Dig, flop on a massive scale. Bent Flyvbjerg, First BT Professor at Oxford and VKR Professor at ITU, Copenhagen, joins host Krys Boyd to discuss grand-scale projects and why some become famous, while others become infamous. His book, co-written with journalist Dan Gardner, is “How Big Things Get Done: The Surprising Factors That Determine the Fate of Every Project, from Home Renovations to Space Exploration and Everything In Between.”
Insects can give us the creepy-crawlies, but they can also fascinate and spark innovation in the human world. Entomologist Arthur V. Evans joins host Krys Boyd for a primer on the world of beetles – some 400,000 species strong – their ability to survive, and their importance to ecosystems. His book is “The Lives of Beetles: A Natural History of Coleoptera.”
Our eyes and ears do a lot of the heavy lifting to guide us through the world – what if we attempted to engage with all of our senses equally? Author Gretchen Rubin joins guest host Courtney Collins to discuss her awaking to relearn how to see, taste, touch, smell, and hear, and why she found life richer and more fulfilling when she slowed down. Her book is “Life in Five Senses: How Exploring the Senses Got Me Out of My Head and Into the World.”
We’re awash in a world of rankings – but is acquiring the best hair dryer or washing machine always worth the effort? Writer and critic Rachel Connolly joins host Krys Boyd to discuss the best-of lists we consume to make sense of our lives and how we use them to gain a false sense of control over a world with limitless choice. Her piece in The New York Times Opinion section is “The Tyranny of ‘the Best.”
When great artists do very bad things, do we discard their work wholesale? Claire Dederer joins host Krys Boyd to discuss the lens #metoo has put on work created by flawed men, and how we balance our sense of morality and ethics with a love of what are widely considered masterpieces. Her book is “Monsters: A Fan’s Dilemma.”
The search for aliens is shifting from looking for signs of life to scouring the cosmos for signs of technology. New York Times Magazine science writer Jon Gertner joins host Krys Boyd to discuss the search for traces of machines throughout the universe, and what happens if we actually find them. His article is “The Search for Intelligent Life Is About to Get a Lot More Interesting.”
This episode originally aired on October 17, 2022.
In a culture focused on winning, it can be hard to know when to walk away. Annie Duke is a former professional poker player, and she joins host Krys Boyd to discuss why quitting is a key element of success and how to know when it’s time to fold ’em and move on. Her book is “Quit: The Power of Knowing When to Walk Away.”
Abraham Lincoln was president of a divided country, and the lessons from his life might help guide America today. Jon Meacham is a Pulitzer Prize–winning biographer, the Rogers Chair in the American Presidency at Vanderbilt University and a fellow of the Society of American Historians. He joins host Krys Boyd to discuss his biography of the 16th president, from birth to assassination, and Lincoln’s conviction that slavery must be ended as a moral evil. His book is “And There Was Light: Abraham Lincoln and the American Struggle.”
Geopolitics is more than international relations – it’s also rooted in the very real maps and boundaries that define places. Daniel Immerwahr, associate professor of history at Northwestern University, joins host Krys Boyd to discuss why map reading is key to understanding hot spots around the globe and how topography is related to history. His article “Are we really prisoners of geography?” was published by The Guardian.
With the launch of Artemis I, NASA has placed its focus back on the moon. Joseph Silk is Bloomberg Research Professor at Johns Hopkins University and a researcher at the Institute of Astrophysics in Paris and the Beecroft Institute for Particle Astrophysics and Cosmology at the University of Oxford. He joins host Krys Boyd to discuss what lunar exploration looks like more than 50 years since the first moon landing, from new powerful telescopes to potential mining. His book is “Back to the Moon: The Next Giant Leap for Humankind.”
There are plenty of reasons why we love our dogs – and now science has turned its eye on our furry companions to better understand why we can’t live without them. Animal expert Jules Howard joins host Krys Boyd to discuss advancements in dog research, what we know about dog cognition and emotion, and the decades of study that brought us to where we are today. His book is called “Wonderdog: The Science of Dogs and Their Unique Friendship with Humans.”
We’re often told to forgive and forget, but it’s important to not skip over the repair for what was broken. Rabbi Danya Ruttenberg is an author, speaker and scholar in residence at the National Council of Jewish Women. She joins host Krys Boyd to discuss apology, consequences and restitution in the modern world using the works of a medieval philosopher as her guide. Her book is “On Repentance And Repair: Making Amends in an Unapologetic World.”
It’s time to test how well you know the U.S. Constitution. Julie Silverbrook, constitutional scholar in residence at iCivics, joins host Krys Boyd to discuss 35 new short-form videos designed to engage children about the basics of American democracy. And while the program is designed for kids, we’ll also talk about gaps in what adults understand about the law of the land. The series is called “The Constitution Explained.”
The Wall Street Journal called Billy Collins “America’s favorite poet,” and now he’s back with a new book. The former U.S. poet laureate joins host Krys Boyd to discuss his new work full of small poems, built to pack an emotional punch in just a few, short lines. The collection is “Musical Tables: Poems.”
Don’t cry over spilled milk – the healthiest response to bad news is to just laugh. Health journalist Carolyn Todd joins host Krys Boyd to discuss how well-being is tied to a mindset that embraces levity, and how humor can combat toxic stress. Her article “When Everything Is Heavy, a Touch of Humor Can Help” was published by The New York Times.
Germany has used public spaces to memorialize deaths from the Holocaust. Should America do the same for formerly enslaved people? Atlantic staff writer Clint Smith joins host Krys Boyd to discuss the shortcomings of America’s reckoning with its treatment of indigenous populations and enslaved peoples, and what should be done to address deeper questions of public memory. His article is “Monuments to the Unthinkable.”
Prince and Charles Dickens were artistic masters of their day, electrifying audiences centuries apart. Emmy-award winning and Oscar-nominated author Nick Hornby joins host Krys Boyd to discuss the parallels between Prince and Dickens, how they are connected artistically, and how these two men spoke for their generations. His book is “Dickens and Prince: A Particular Kind of Genius.”
Guaranteed income experiments are yielding significant proof that sending people money produces positive results. Journalist Megan Greenwell joins host Krys Boyd to discuss programs that offer monthly stipends with no strings attached with the hopes of lifting people out of poverty, and why the movement now finds itself at a crossroads. Her article published in The Washington Post is “Universal Basic Income Has Been Tested Repeatedly. It Works. Will America Ever Embrace It?”
Even if parenting really is the most rewarding thing you’ll ever do… it’s still really hard. Krys Boyd talks with parents and parenting experts about the ups and downs of joining parenting groups, how low-income parents often feel torn between spending time with their kids and making ends meet, and about how we internalize societal pressure to be the best moms and dads who ever lived.
New breakthroughs might mean interstellar space travel will soon be more than just science fiction. Les Johnson is a physicist and principal investigator for NASA’s first interplanetary solar sail space mission, Near-Earth Asteroid Scout and Solar Cruiser. He joins host Krys Boyd to discuss space propulsion and robotics, goals for reaching exoplanets and lessons in physics, all with the aim of traveling to the great unknown. His book is “A Traveler’s Guide to the Stars.”
With the midterms hitting this week, the Democratic party is taking stock of what worked and what didn’t. New Yorker staff writer Nicholas Lemann joins host Krys Boyd to discuss the blind spots the party has – like focusing too heavily on college-educated voters – and which policies the Republicans might be messaging in a clearer fashion. His article is called “Only Connect.”
One thing that distinguishes humans from our closest primate relatives is how we make and raise babies. Brenna Hassett is a biological anthropologist and researcher at University College London, as well as a scientific associate at the Natural History Museum, London. She joins host Krys Boyd to discuss how childhood as we know it was created, why difficult pregnancies are a clue to the kind of children we want, and how fossil records can point us toward how we’ve evolved to raise children today. Her book is “Growing Up Human: The Evolution of Childhood.”
Researchers are endlessly fascinated by questions of consciousness. Ogi Ogas was a Department of Homeland Security fellow at the Department of Cognitive and Neural Systems at Boston University and a research fellow at the Harvard Graduate School of Education. He joins host Krys Boyd to discuss what it means to think and experience emotions and discuss why an even higher form of consciousness might be in our future. His book, co-authored with Sai Gaddam, is called “Journey of the Mind: How Thinking Emerged from Chaos.”
We swat at them, but flying insects are actually essential to life as we know it. Host Krys Boyd talks with behavioral ecologists about wasps and bees, and a professor of animal sentience about flies to explore all the wonderful ways their tiny minds work and the positive impacts they have on our ecosystems — even as they sometimes annoy and gross us out.
Parents often struggle with how much screen time is healthy for their teens. Emily Weinstein is the Principal Investigator of Harvard’s Project Zero and a lecturer in the Graduate School of Education. She joins host Krys Boyd to discuss the ways teenagers navigate their online world and to offer support to parents struggling to understand their teens’ drive to always be connected. The book, co-authored with Carrie James, is “Behind Their Screens: What Teens Are Facing (And Adults Are Missing).”
This episode originally aired Aug. 18, 2022.
Since the fall of Roe, doctors must now be on guard that they’re not breaking the law. Time magazine politics writer Abigail Abrams joins host Krys Boyd to discuss the routine doctor-patient relationship for a pregnancy that has now become a high-stakes game of providing care while not running afoul of state mandates. Her article is “‘Am I a Felon?’ The Fall of Roe v. Wade Has Permanently Changed the Doctor-Patient Relationship.“
The hapless, loveable character of Arthur Less from the novel “Less” won Andrew Sean Greer a Pulitzer Prize for Fiction in 2018. And now, he’s back. The author joins host Krys Boyd to discuss the return of his novel’s namesake and his new adventures, plus Greer’s process for writing with such broad appeal. His novel is “Less is Lost.”
After a childhood in a cult, Daniella Mestyanek Young was drawn to a world with rigid rules and a strict chain of command. She joins host Krys Boyd to discuss being raised in The Children of God religious cult, her escape to build a new life, and what her later career in the military taught her about herself. Her book is “Uncultured: A Memoir.”
Even as they promise a better future, politicians continue to lower the bar. Andy Borowitz, comedian and author of “The Borowitz Report,” joins host Krys Boyd to discuss how social media and the 24-hour news cycle have produced politicians who score cheap points without the facts to back them up. Plus, we’ll hear about a few absurd anecdotes of egregious behavior. His book is “Profiles in Ignorance: How America’s Politicians Got Dumb and Dumber.”
In the 1600s, scientists made a tiny discovery with huge implications: the cell. Pulitzer Prize-winner Siddhartha Mukherjee joins host Krys Boyd to discuss the radical concept of the cell, its long history in science and medicine, and how it continues to produce new and exciting therapies today. His book is “The Song of the Cell: An Exploration of Medicine and the New Human.”
There are millions of thriving species on the planet and, yet, only humans suffer existential crisis. Justin Gregg is senior research associate with the Dolphin Communication Project and an adjunct professor at St. Francis Xavier University, where he lectures on animal behavior and cognition. He joins host Krys Boyd to discuss the ways human intelligence gets in the way of happiness, why higher thinking has led to destruction and why bees playing soccer (yes!) might be the height of bliss. His book is “If Nietzsche Were a Narwhal: What Animal Intelligence Reveals About Human Stupidity.”
The first American polio case in nearly a decade was reported just outside New York City earlier this year. Patrick Cockburn, Middle East correspondent for the Independent of London, joins host Krys Boyd to discuss his own experience with polio and why public health officials around the world should be on high alert for new outbreaks of the highly debilitating disease. His article in The Nation is “The Return of Polio.”
Societies are often judged by how they treat their most vulnerable citizens. So how does America stack up? Christopher Howard, professor of government and public policy at the College of William and Mary, joins host Krys Boyd to discuss the network of government agencies, nonprofits and family organizations that serve as a patchwork social safety net in this country. His book is “Who Cares: The Social Safety Net in America.”
Have a wacky science question? Randall Munroe is here to help. The author of the science question-and-answer blog What If? and the popular web comic xkcd joins host Krys Boyd to discuss questions like: Could you cool the earth by opening freezer doors? And: Is it possible to build a billion-story building? His book full of answers is “What If? 2: Additional Serious Scientific Answers to Absurd Hypothetical Questions.”
A.I. technology is being used to decode the language of animals. Tom Mustill is a biologist turned filmmaker and writer, and he joins host Krys Boyd to discuss his deep dive into how scientists are trying to decode the “words” of whales, and the potential consequences of human-whale interactions. His book is “How to Speak Whale: A Voyage into the Future of Animal Communication.”
George Saunders is a master of introducing weird and wonderful characters to the page. The writer and Man Booker Prize winner joins host Krys Boyd to discuss his newest collection of short stories – many with dystopian themes – and his process for writing them. His book is “Liberation Day.”
The global competition in the Sino-American conflict might be coming to a head. Michael Beckley, associate professor of political science at Tufts University and a non-resident senior fellow at the American Enterprise Institute, joins host Krys Boyd to discuss why he believes competition between America and China will peak in the 2020s – setting up a showdown between authoritarianism and democracy. His book, co-written with Hal Brands, is called “Danger Zone: The Coming Conflict with China.”
The notion that prisons should rehabilitate rather than just punish is not new. Bill Keller of the Marshall Project joins us to discuss why prison systems in the U.S. got away from early ideas of reforming inmates, and why arguments that these methods are soft on crime are misguided. His book is “What’s Prison For? Punishment and Rehabilitation in the Age of Mass Incarceration.”
It’s rare for parents of teens to hear any other response than “fine.” Terri Apter is a psychologist and retired fellow of Newnham College at the University of Cambridge, and she joins host Krys Boyd to talk about teenagers and their changing emotions, how to better understand their emerging identities and ways parents can strengthen relationships – even in trying times. Her book is “The Teen Interpreter: A Guide to the Challenges and Joys of Raising Adolescents.”
This episode originally aired on April 4, 2021
A lack of empathy could signal an outsized propensity for cruelty. Simon Baron-Cohen is a professor of developmental psychopathology and director of the Autism Research Centre at the University of Cambridge. He joins host Krys Boyd to discuss the neuroscience of narcissism and psychopathy and the reasons someone might lack the ability to care. His book is “The Science of Evil: On Empathy and the Origins of Cruelty.”
This episode originally aired on August 2, 2022
We’d like to believe our pets are emotionally connected to us — but what does the science say? Yudhijit Bhattacharjee is a contributing writer at National Geographic, and he joins guest host Courtney Collins to discuss the mental abilities of animals and how they might have emotions as complex as our own. His October cover story for the magazine is “What Are Animals Thinking?”
The process of cooking meth has gone from homemade batches to mass-produced, multi-million-dollar operations. Journalist Sam Quinones joins host Krys Boyd to discuss the rise in synthetic meth, the economic costs to the marketplace of illicit drugs, and the emotional and physical toll it’s had on those addicted. His book is called “The Least of Us: True Tales of America and Hope in the Time of Fentanyl and Meth.”
This episode originally aired on November 11, 2021
Whether on Zoom or in-person, there is always a coworker or two who get under our skin. Tessa West is an associate professor of psychology at New York University, and she joins host Krys Boyd to discuss the different personality types that tend to make work miserable and the methods of social psychology you can employ to neutralize them. Her book is called “Jerks at Work: Toxic Coworkers and What to Do About Them.”
This episode originally aired on March 29, 2022
The pandemic put a spotlight on the very difficult job of modern motherhood. Anne Helen Petersen is an author and writer of Substack newsletter Culture Study. She joins guest host Courtney Collins to discuss how families, especially moms, are emerging from life under covid with new fortitude and tools for resilience. Her article published by Scribd Originals is called “The Moms Are Not Alright: Inside America’s New Parenting Crisis.”
Even Aristotle was interested in the things that make us laugh. Jonathan Silvertown, Professor of Evolutionary Ecology in the Institute of Evolutionary Biology at the University of Edinburgh, joins guest host Courtney Collins to discuss the science behind why we giggle, laughter’s evolutionary advantages, and why you might want to tickle your houseplants. His book is “The Comedy of Error: Why Evolution Made Us Laugh.”
When fictional Cara Romero loses her job, her innermost secrets come pouring out. Angie Cruz is an author and founder and editor in chief of Aster(ix), a literary and arts journal, and an associate professor in English at the University of Pittsburgh. She joins guest host Courtney Collins to discuss her character who, through the help of a job counselor, mines her relationships to find her fighting spirit. Her novel is “How Not to Drown in a Glass of Water.”
Social media connects teens to instant information; how do they discern the truth from the lies? Dr. Seema Yasmin, director of the Stanford Health Communication Initiative joins guest host Courtney Collins to discuss ways to engage youth and help them learn to dispel rumor and myths about science and medicine. Her book is “What the Fact? Finding the Truth in all the Noise.”
During slavery and throughout Jim Crow laws, Black Americans needed safe havens to escape the “white gaze.” Shayla Harris, Producer/Director of the documentary “Making Black America: Through the Grapevine,” joins guest host Courtney Collins to discuss the networks and towns built for Black people, and the community and safety they brought. The four-part series hosted and written by Henry Louis Gates, Jr., airs on PBS.
What do we really know about the sounds dinosaurs made or what T. Rex did with its tiny arms? David Hone, paleontologist and senior lecturer at Queen Mary University of London, joins host Krys Boyd to discuss the latest in dinosaur research, from child-rearing to habitats – and what might be the next big dinosaur discovery on the horizon. His book is “How Fast Did T. Rex Run? Unsolved Questions from the Frontiers of Dinosaur Science.”
Helena Andrews-Dyer was the only Black mom in her parenting group, and when the Black Lives Matter movement emerged, she began to ask deeper questions. The senior culture writer at The Washington Post joins host Krys Boyd to discuss raising a Black child in a predominately white, upper-middle-class world, where her concerns about race led her to consider larger themes of belonging. Her book is “The Mamas: What I Learned About Kids, Class, and Race from Moms Not Like Me.”
It can take hundreds of thousands of dollars to send a child to college these days. Ron Lieber, Your Money columnist for The New York Times, joins host Krys Boyd to discuss the complicated financial aid process, ways to tap into merit aid and similar discounts, and lessons on value vs. price for the best college deal. His book is “The Price You Pay for College: An Entirely New Road Map for the Biggest Financial Decision Your Family Will Ever Make.”
There’s a cottage industry of books written about finding and keeping a mate, but not nearly as many about finding and keeping friends. Marisa G. Franco is a professor at the University of Maryland who also writes for Psychology Today. She joins host Krys Boyd to discuss the latest science on friendship, why it’s essential to our health, and ways to use your own strengths to forge lasting relationships. Her book is called “Platonic: How the Science of Attachment Can Help You Make – and Keep – Friends.”
One psychiatric diagnosis can punctuate a life; six can alter its course completely. Sarah Fay, writer and currently on faculty in the English departments at DePaul University and Northwestern University, joins host Krys Boyd to discuss her many diagnoses and offers an examination of psychiatry’s main tool, the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders—the DSM— and the history behind it. Her book is called “Pathological: The True Story of Six Misdiagnoses.”
This episode originally aired on May 31, 2022.
Neil deGrasse Tyson is an astrophysicist who helps us find our place in the universe. The director of the Hayden Planetarium at the American Museum of Natural History and host and cofounder of the podcast “StarTalk” joins host Krys Boyd to make a case for the rationality of science – and to help us look at global challenges in new ways. His book is “Starry Messenger: Cosmic Perspectives on Civilization.”
If we were only able to catch our biases when thinking, the world might be a better place. Woo-kyoung Ahn, John Hay Whitney Professor of Psychology at Yale University, joins host Krys Boyd to discuss confirmation bias and other forms of subconscious thinking that can get in the way of us being better versions of ourselves. Her book is “Thinking 101: How to Reason Better to Live Better.”
An only child soaks up a lot of parents’ attention – so much so that marriages can sometimes be harmed. Jancee Dunn joins host Krys Boyd to discuss the ways her own child has siphoned off focus from her husband, and how culturally we have become accustomed to this interference. Her article, “My Marriage Has a Third Wheel: Our Child,” was published by The New York Times.
What if, to be happy, you didn’t need to be great, you just needed to be pretty good? Avram Alpert is a lecturer in the writing program at Princeton University and co-editor of Shifter magazine. He joins host Krys Boyd to discuss why our competitive nature blinds us to the fact that there is enough success to go around – and how to find purpose in life being just OK. His book is called “The Good-Enough Life.”
From “blind rage” to “the blind leading the blind,” cultural touchstones of blindness are often negative. M. Leona Godin is a blind writer, performer and educator, and she joins host Krys Boyd to discuss the cultural and scientific history of blindness – and what sighted people should know about what it’s like to be blind. Her book is “There Plant Eyes: A Personal and Cultural History of Blindness.”
There are 10 times more wasps than bees – so why do we know so little about them? Seirian Sumner, professor of behavioral ecology at University College London, joins host Krys Boyd to discuss the wild world of wasps, which she says have an undeserved reputation as nature’s bad guys. Her book is called “Endless Forms: The Secret World of Wasps.”
To make real strides in conservation, you’ve got to follow the money. Journalist Emma Marris joins host Krys Boyd to talk about how preserving nature requires businesses and conservationists to better understand one another’s needs. The National Geographic September cover story is “America the Beautiful: New Ideas for Protecting Land, Water, and Wildlife.”
From over-the-top birthday parties to daily coffee breaks, rituals transcend cultures. Dimitris Xygalatas is an anthropologist and cognitive scientist who runs the Experimental Anthropology Lab at the University of Connecticut. He joins host Krys Boyd to discuss how both very small and very elaborate customs connect human behavior across centuries. His book is “Ritual: How Seemingly Senseless Acts Make Life Worth Living.”
Fractions can be confusing – and that’s not great news for communicators. James C. Zimring, Thomas W. Tillack Professor of Experimental Pathology at the University of Virginia School of Medicine, joins host Krys Boyd to discuss percentages, probabilities, and the other data that can confound and even deceive us – and how to not fall into familiar, time-worn traps. His book is “Partial Truths: How Fractions Distort Our Thinking.”
This episode originally aired on July 19, 2022.
With our noses buried in screens and texts, it’s easier than ever to miss important social cues. Psychotherapist David J. Lieberman joins host Krys Boyd to discuss his ideas for how to pick up on subtext in spoken and written words, how to sniff out lies, and where to find the devil in the details. His book is “Mindreader: The New Science of Deciphering What People Really Think, What They Really Want, and Who They Really Are.”
This episode originally aired on August 11, 2022.
African and Jewish cooking are each the results of two cultures with histories of migration. Michael Twitty is a culinary and cultural historian and the creator of Afroculinaria, the first blog devoted to African American historic foodways and their legacies. He joins host Krys Boyd to discuss the ways Black food and Jewish food have influenced each other, and explores ways they impact identity. His book is called “Koshersoul: The Faith and Food Journey of an African American Jew.”
When U.S. schools closed due to Covid, children were cut off from support networks. Education journalist Anya Kamenetz joins host Krys Boyd to discuss what happened during the pandemic when schools could no longer offer safety net programs and the lives of people across the country who were affected. Her book is called “The Stolen Year: How COVID Changed Children’s Lives, and Where We Go Now.”
We’ve all experienced a broken heart – and it might make you feel better that there is science that explains why. Journalist Florence Williams joins host Krys Boyd to discuss her painful divorce and how that led her to uncover the latest research on loneliness and its connection to health. Plus, we’ll hear about how she battled through sadness to find peace again. Her book is “Heartbreak: A Personal and Scientific Journey.”
This episode originally aired on January 31, 2022.
Is our current era of racial reckoning in America a third Reconstruction? Peniel Joseph is the Barbara Jordan Chair in Political Values and Ethics at the LBJ School of Public Affairs and founding director of the Center for the Study of Race and Democracy at the University of Texas at Austin. He joins host Krys Boyd to assess the current push for racial equality – from the election of Barack Obama to Black Lives Matter to the January 6th insurrection. His book is called “The Third Reconstruction: America’s Struggle for Racial Justice in the Twenty-First Century.”
After Covid shut down the office, returning to a cubicle is a hard sell. Rani Molla, senior data reporter for Recode, joins host Krys Boyd to discuss why some people don’t want to upend their work-from-home routine, some workers are put off by empty offices and absent coworkers, and how corporate America might move forward. Her article is “Why the return to the office isn’t working.”
This episode originally aired on June 28, 2022.
A fictional teen’s need to be recognized by her peers leads down a path of unintended catfishing on social media. Author Crystal Maldonado joins guest host Courtney Collins to discuss her YA novel that follows a high-school teen chasing Instagram likes, which leads to some bad decisions and hard lessons ahead. Her book is called “No Filter and Other Lies.”
Water will always find its level, and in the age of extreme climate change, that’s bad news for low-lying cities hoping to keep it at bay. Erica Gies is a journalist and National Geographic Explorer, and she joins host Krys Boyd to discuss the Slow Water movement, an idea that pushes back on methods that speed water away so that floods and droughts find natural systems that work with today’s infrastructure needs. Her book is “Water Always Wins: Thriving in an Age of Drought and Deluge.” Think broadcasts today from the studios of WWNO in New Orleans.
There is no question that racism leads to health disparities among Black Americans. Linda Villarosa is a journalism professor at the City University of New York, a contributing writer at The New York Times Magazine and a contributor to The 1619 Project. She joins guest host Courtney Collins to discuss the reasons behind why Black people are dying sooner and have worse health outcomes than their white counterparts. Her book is “Under the Skin: The Hidden Toll of Racism on American Lives and on the Health of Our Nation.”
With China on the rise, has the American Century’s time run out? Daniel Bessner is Joff Hanauer Honors Associate Professor in Western Civilization in the Henry M. Jackson School of International Studies at the University of Washington. He joins guest host Courtney Collins to talk about if the U.S. should continue to try to rule the world through force – or if recent history suggests it’s time to back off. His article published in Harper’s Magazine is called “Empire Burlesque.”
Focusing on addressing problems in the short term often closes a door to more considered, long-term thinking. Ari Wallach is a futurist and the founder and executive director of Longpath Labs, and he joins host Krys Boyd to discuss his methods for teaching people to think far into the future in order to connect to what really matters. His book is “Longpath: Becoming the Great Ancestors Our Future Needs – An Antidote for Short-Termism.”
A Google engineer recently made headlines for saying his A.I. creation had come to life – a claim that ultimately led to his firing. Cade Metz, a technology correspondent with The New York Times, joins guest host Courtney Collins to discuss how we want our tech to talk back to us and have feelings and why we are still so far away from that even being in the realm of possibility. His recent article is “A.I. Is Not Sentient. Why Do People Say It Is?”
Erika L. Sánchez made a splash with her New York Times bestseller “I Am Not Your Perfect Mexican Daughter” and now she’s out with a memoir. Sánchez is a poet, novelist and essayist, and she joins guest host Courtney Collins to discuss some very personal stories about mental health, success and confronting racism in everyday life. Her book is “Crying in the Bathroom: A Memoir.”
A little-known pair of newspaper owners helped fuel the Mexican Revolution — and they set up shop here in America. Kelly Lytle Hernandez, Thomas E. Lifka Endowed Chair in History at UCLA, joins guest host John McCaa to discuss the Magónistas – brothers who fought for anarchy against the Mexican dictator Porfirio Díaz – and the very wealthy U.S. business owners they angered along the way. Her book is “Bad Mexicans: Race, Empire, and Revolution in the Borderlands.”
Thomas Jefferson, John Adams and the other Founding Fathers get the credit for our nation’s founding principles. But where did they get their ideas from? Historian Marilynne Robinson joins guest host John McCaa for a look at the people and events that shaped the men who shaped America. Her essay, “One Manner of Law: The Religious Origins of American Liberalism,” appears in Harper’s magazine.
The World Economic Forum lists biodiversity loss as a global threat. Vox environmental reporter Benji Jones joins guest host Courtney Collins to discuss the problem of lost species — including one called the Blanco blind salamander — and why it’s so hard to protect animals when the scientific community isn’t sure if they still exist. His article as part of the Vox Down to Earth series is “Why scientists are desperate to find a salamander that’s been missing for 71 years.”
We might consider how our actions will affect the lives of our children and grandchildren. But what about the dozens of generations that hopefully come next? William MacAskill is associate professor of philosophy at the University of Oxford and co-founder of the Centre for Effective Altruism. He joins host Krys Boyd to discuss why we must make long-term thinking a priority if we truly care about the descendants we’ll never meet. His book is called “What We Owe the Future.”
The Trump administration’s family-separation policy had a profound effect on the immigration system. Caitlin Dickerson, staff writer at The Atlantic, joins host Krys Boyd to discuss her 18-month deep dive into the policies and after-effects of separating children from their families at the border, including the first on-record interview about the policy with former U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security Kirstjen Nielsen and former White House Chief of Staff John Kelly. Her article is called “We Need to Take Away Children.”
It’s impossible to fight against your genetics, but you can chart a new course by focusing on your mind. Selena Bartlett is an author and host of the podcast “Thriving Minds.” She joins host Krys Boyd to discuss how a better understanding of brain science can help us to identify destructive patterns and forge new paths toward health and happiness. Her book is “Smashing Mindset: Train Your Brain to Reboot, Recharge and Reinvent Your Life.”
Door-to-door salesmen are often reviled, but some are turning the profession into an art form. New Yorker staff writer Tad Friend joins host Krys Boyd to discuss the tactics of today’s D2D salesmen and how they perfect their pitches for what might be one of the hardest jobs in the world. His feature on one of the country’s most tenacious salesmen is called “Sam Taggart’s Hard Sell.”
After her mother’s suicide, Laura Trujillo faced a reckoning. Trujillo is managing editor for Life and Entertainment at USA Today, and she joins host Krys Boyd to discuss the shock she faced when her mother took her own life, the dark secret she had to plumb to move forward, and where she ultimately found peace. Her book is “Stepping Back from the Ledge: A Daughter’s Search for Truth and Renewal.”
Does the modern quest for personal happiness ruin perfectly good marriages? Joshua Coleman is a psychologist in private practice and a senior fellow with the Council on Contemporary Families. He joins host Krys Boyd to discuss how our culture of individualism puts pressure on relationships, feeling like a failure for not being able to repair a faltering marriage, and how to know it’s time to walk away. His article in Aeon is called “The Right Person.”
June Cleaver made parenting look so simple, while perfect soccer moms today can make it seem unachievably hard. Andrew Bomback is an associate professor of medicine at Columbia University Irving Medical Center, and he joins host Krys Boyd to discuss how parenting became a verb, why we’re stuck on the notion that parents can have it all, and how to break free of the intense cultural pressure surrounding parenting. His book is “Long Days, Short Years: A Cultural History of Modern Parenting.”
Many of us do all we can to avoid thinking about death. But what if every day you went to work and death was part of your job? Journalist Hayley Campbell joins host Krys Boyd to talk about people who deal exclusively in death – from homicide detectives to gravediggers – and to ask why death remains a taboo subject in Western culture. Her book is “All the Living and the Dead: From Embalmers to Executioners, an Exploration of the People Who Have Made Death Their Life’s Work.”
It’s fairly common for a person with autism to “mask” their condition so as to appear to be neurotypical. Devon Price is a social psychologist and professor at Loyola University of Chicago’s School of Continuing and Professional Studies. He joins host Krys Boyd to discuss his own experience with neurodivergence – and to delve into the lives of people who feel ignored and invisible. His book is “Unmasking Autism: Discovering the New Faces of Neurodiversity.”
Americans owe trillions in student loan debt, even as education is seen as a public good. Will Bunch, national opinion columnist for the Philadelphia Inquirer, joins host Krys Boyd to discuss the origins of the college dream of equal opportunity, its funding failures and how degrees are now a source of cultural division. His book is “After the Ivory Tower Falls: How College Broke the American Dream and Blew Up Our Politics—and How to Fix It.”
Shugri Said Salh’s life as a nurse and soccer mom is a long way from where she started – living as a nomad in Somalia. She joins host Krys Boyd to discuss her childhood marked by war and her immigration to the U.S., where she tries to impart the wisdom of her upbringing to her daughters and son. Her memoir is called “The Last Nomad: Coming of Age in the Somali Desert.”
With the Covid pandemic, one thing became clear: health outcomes are linked to socioeconomic status. Stephen W. Thrasher is Daniel H. Renberg chair at Northwestern University’s Medill School, a faculty member of Northwestern’s Institute of Sexual and Gender Minority Health and Wellbeing and a columnist for Scientific American. He joins host Krys Boyd to discuss why survival rates and public health resources reach some but not others. His book is called “The Viral Underclass: The Human Toll When Inequality and Disease Collide.”
Students often assume their teachers know everything. But the reality is teachers are just as eager to learn, too. Educator Phillip Done is a recipient of the prestigious Charles Schwab Distinguished Teacher Award and a Teacher of the Year in California. He joins host Krys Boyd to discuss the how-tos of teaching, from extracting the best of a child academically to navigating the administrative minutia that comes with the job. His book is called “The Art of Teaching Children: All I Learned from a Lifetime in the Classroom.”
Is a recession likely? Depends on who you ask. Ben Casselman, economics and business reporter for The New York Times, joins host Krys Boyd to discuss a New York Times/Siena College poll that shows voter pessimism – even as wages are rising and unemployment is low – and why that negative outlook could be a self-fulfilling prophecy. His article, co-written with Lydia DePillis, is headlined “Voters See a Bad Economy, Even if They’re Doing OK.”
Scientists are zeroing in on blood proteins as a tool that could regenerate aging organs. Journalist Eilene Zimmerman joins host Krys Boyd to discuss the protein known as GDF11, which has sometimes shown promise stimulating the growth of the brain and blood vessels. And we’ll hear about Elevian, the company hoping to unlock its secrets. Her article published in The New York Times is called “Can a ‘Magic’ Protein Slow the Aging Process?”
The stories behind discarded photographs are as intriguing as the images themselves. Sociologist Jeff Ferrell is editor of the New York University Press book series Alternative Criminology, and he joins host Krys Boyd to talk about the thousands of photographs he’s recovered while dumpster diving and the legal and moral questions of owning someone else’s images. His book is called “Last Picture.”
This episode originally aired on April 21, 2022.
Jaw-dropping images released from the James Webb Space Telescope have both scientists and laypeople awestruck. Lee Billings, senior editor of space and physics for Scientific American, joins host Krys Boyd to discuss the latest scientific discoveries of the $10 billion telescope and the secrets of the universe astronomers hope to unlock now that information is pouring in.
Even for those in the media, reading the news can be tedious—and that’s an ominous sign for the industry. Amanda Ripley, host of the Slate podcast “How To!” joins host Krys Boyd to discuss why many of us are tuning out, and to offer solutions to make the news relevant again. (Hint: a little hope goes a long way.) Her piece in The Washington Post is called “I stopped reading the news. Is the problem, me — or the product?”
When a reporter covers tragedy, it’s especially tough when the community effected is their own. Liliana Soto is assistant professor of practice at the University of Arizona School of Journalism and an assistant director for the school’s Bilingual Journalism Program. She joins host Krys Boyd to discuss the emotional toll of Latino journalists covering the El Paso and Uvalde mass shootings, necessary coping skills, and why self-care is so difficult for reporters. Her article published by Palabra is “Flipping the Lens.”
The Western world has been shaped by music, from 11th Century hymns to jazz today. Stuart Isacoff is a pianist, writer and the founder of Piano Today magazine. He joins host Krys Boyd to discuss the history of Western music, guiding us through how the sounds we hear have changed, and how politics and religion pushed their trajectories. His book is “Musical Revolutions: How the Sounds of the Western World Changed.”
Every region of the country has an accent, but it also has a writing style that sets it apart. Ellen Jovin, founder of Syntaxis, a communication skills training consultancy, joins host Krys Boyd to discuss her travels around the nation answering grammar questions, why people are so keen to reveal what they don’t know and don’t understand, and how written language connects us all. “Rebel With A Clause: Tales and Tips from a Roving Grammarian.”
Optimistic leaders show patience when dealing with public and foreign policy, while pessimistic leaders take more risks. Daniel Drezner, Professor of International Politics in The Fletcher School at Tufts University, joins host Krys Boyd to discuss why power should be measured in how a country’s leader views the future, why that’s key to approaching world affairs, and how a negative outlook puts the population at risk. His article published by Foreign Affairs is called “The Perils of Pessimism.”
Inequality can even have an impact on something money can’t buy: our dreams. Karen A. Cerulo, professor of sociology at Rutgers University and editor of Sociological Forum, joins host Krys Boyd to discuss why socioeconomic status, gender, race, and more impact the scope and outcomes of dreaming, and why studying dreams can help shape public policy. Her book, coauthored with Janet M. Ruane, is called “Dreams of a Lifetime: How Who We Are Shapes How We Imagine Our Future.”
When the pandemic hit, we stopped touching one another, the irony being: Humans need touch to stay healthy. National Geographic writer Cynthia Gorney joins host Krys Boyd to discuss why, out of the five senses, touch is so key to well-being, and the latest tech helping amputees to feel again. Her June cover story is called “The Power of Touch.”
Within 100 miles of the border and coastlines, the Border Patrol can conduct warrantless stops and interrogations. Reece Jones is a Guggenheim Fellow and professor and the chair of the Department of Geography and Environment at the University of Hawaii. He joins host Krys Boyd to discuss the almost-unfettered agency, how the Supreme Court has authorized its powers, and how it’s becoming a national police force. His book is “Nobody Is Protected: How the Border Patrol Became the Most Dangerous Police Force in the United States.”
Corporations are looking to implement anti-racist policies within their organizations – and some of that work involves actually talking with the people who work there. Y-Vonne Hutchinson is the CEO and founder of ReadySet, a diversity, equity, and inclusion consulting firm, and she talks to host Krys Boyd about how employees can have frank and honest conversations with management about race and achieve real results. Her book is “How to Talk to Your Boss About Race: Speaking Up Without Getting Shut Down.”
This episode originally aired on March 1, 2022.
The gun control debate often focuses on the number of bullets a weapon can fire at one time. Phil Klay joins host Krys Boyd to discuss the technology that has allowed guns to evolve from single shooters to automatic weapons, and to talk about why we’ve felt the need to make guns even more deadly. His article in The New Yorker is called “How Did Guns Get So Powerful?”
The Creek Nation recognized Black people as full citizens until that ruling was revoked in the 1970s. Caleb Gayle is a journalist and professor at Northeastern University. He joins host Krys Boyd to discuss the struggle for Black Creeks to regain tribal recognition, how the government was involved, and how Black Creeks see themselves today. His book is “We Refuse to Forget: A True Story of Black Creeks, American Identity, and Power.”
For something that’s inside all of us, it’s taken physicians several millennia to understand blood. Dr. Dhun Sethna is a clinical and academic cardiologist. He joins host Krys Boyd to discuss how slowly advancements in our knowledge of blood circulation and the heart progressed, and where these discoveries have taken medicine today. His book is “The Wine-Dark Sea Within: A Turbulent History of Blood.”
With all the Jurassic Park movies, seeing a T-rex has become fairly common today. But just imagine the wonder of unearthing the first skeleton at the turn of the last century. David K. Randall, senior reporter at Reuters, joins host Krys Boyd to tell the story of fossil hunter Barnum Brown, his discovery that amazed the world, and how the Museum of Natural History capitalized on it. His book is “The Monster’s Bones: The Discovery of T. Rex and How It Shook Our World.”
If you’ve ever had to say, “because I said so” to a little human asking “but why?” you’ve argued with a young philosopher. Scott Hershovitz is director of the Law and Ethics Program and professor of law and philosophy at the University of Michigan. He joins guest host Courtney Collins to discuss the debates he has with his two boys, Rex and Hank, and why it’s important to take on deep questions with young minds. His book is called “Nasty, Brutish, and Short: Adventures in Philosophy with My Kids.”
Debate can turn even the shiest person into a confident orator. Bo Seo is a two-time world champion debater and a former coach of Harvard College Debating Union. He joins guest host Courtney Collins to discuss the fundamentals of a good debate, and his own transformation from a nervous immigrant child to a world champion speaker and coach. His book is called “Good Arguments: How Debate Teaches Us to Listen and be Heard.”
When a wooden duck goes missing, a woman looking to find herself ends up in the center of a mysterious caper. Linda Holmes, co-host of NPR’s Pop Culture Happy Hour, joins guest host Courtney Collins to discuss the characters in her new novel, in which secrets of lost love and the lessons learned from coming home find themselves front and center. The book is called “Flying Solo.”
The animal kingdom perceives the world in wild and unusual ways. Ed Yong, Pulitzer Prize–winning science writer on staff at The Atlantic, joins host Krys Boyd to discuss what seems like animal magic powers – from magnetic fields and sonar to complex vision and heightened smell. His book is “An Immense World: How Animal Senses Reveal the Hidden Realms Around Us.”
This episode originally aired on June 24, 2022.
Some people who hear voices are actually choosing to embrace them rather than seeking to silence them. Caroline Mazel-Carlton, director of training for the Wildflower Alliance and the Hearing Voices Research and Development Project, joins host Krys Boyd to talk about her personal experience with hearing voices, surviving a suicide attempt, and how she works now to fight for change in how mental illness is viewed.
We live in an age of double-heart emojis and spilling your guts on the internet. Author Caitlin Macy joins host Krys Boyd to discuss why emotional overreaction has become the norm – even expected – and how that’s given rise to overflowing anger in daily life. Her article published in The Wall Street Journal is “The Age of Emotional Overstatement.”
When the pandemic took hold in 2020, the federal response was already woefully behind. Dr. Deborah Birx, senior fellow at the Bush Institute and former White House Coronavirus Response Coordinator, joins host Krys Boyd to discuss her role in ramping up the Trump administration’s efforts to combat the virus and the political turmoil she found behind the scenes. Her book is “Silent Invasion: The Untold Story of the Trump Administration, Covid-19, and Preventing the Next Pandemic Before It’s Too Late.”
Wounded soldiers returning from WWI were heroes – though many with severely scarred or disfigured faces were ashamed to be seen in public. Science writer Lindsey Fitzharris joins host Krys Boyd to tell the story of Harold Gillies, a plastic surgeon who established one of the first hospitals for facial reconstruction as he worked to heal both body and soul – all while pioneering techniques still employed today. Her book is “The Facemaker: A Visionary Surgeon’s Battle to Mend the Disfigured Soldiers of World War I.”
Now that the Supreme Court has struck down Roe v Wade, what comes next? The University of Texas at Austin Law Professor Elizabeth Sepper joins host Krys Boyd to discuss America’s post-Roe future and if the Dobbs ruling opens the door for other challenges before the Supreme Court.
The animal kingdom perceives the world in wild and unusual ways. Ed Yong, Pulitzer Prize–winning science writer on staff at The Atlantic, joins host Krys Boyd to discuss what seems like animal magic powers – from magnetic fields and sonar to complex vision and heightened smell. His book is “An Immense World: How Animal Senses Reveal the Hidden Realms Around Us.”
The SAT has been a cornerstone of college admissions — that is, until COVID. New Yorker contributor Eren Orbey joins host Krys Boyd to discuss how the global pandemic shut down the testing process – and the many ways the company is trying to work around not only changes in test administration but pushback on the test itself. His article is “How the Pandemic Remade the SAT.”
If chores are divided unequally in your household, blame societal norms. Kate Mangino is a gender expert and regular contributor to Fathering Together, and she joins host Krys Boyd to discuss how we can establish household equity through examining cultural expectations. Plus, we’ll hear practical tips for sharing the load. Her book is “Equal Partners: Improving Gender Equality at Home.”
So, you’re going to prison. You’d probably like some advice about what to expect. New York Times Magazine contributor Jack Hitt joins host Krys Boyd to discuss the coaches who offer advice for those up against jail time for white collar crime, and how it signals a shift in the justice system. His article is “Want to Do Less Time? A Prison Consultant Might Be Able to Help.”
It would be helpful to most parents to have a playbook for teaching children about racism. Britt Hawthorne is an anti-bias and antiracist facilitator, and she joins host Krys Boyd to discuss how to raise global citizens who embrace all races — and ways to teach them to work for a more just and equitable society. Her book is “Raising Antiracist Children: A Practical Parenting Guide.”
Aristotle, even Freud, had detailed theories as to why it’s hard to resist that pint of ice cream in your freezer. Dr. Raj Telhan joins host Krys Boyd to discuss his quest to give up refined sugar and how it made him question the nature of pleasure and wonder about our capacity for desire. His article in The Guardian is “Why is it so hard to control our appetites? A doctor’s struggles with giving up sugar.”
Russia’s invasion of Ukraine may have seemed inevitable, but the reality is unfriendly neighbors usually find a way to avoid war. Christopher Blattman is the Ramalee E. Pearson Professor of Global Conflict Studies at the University of Chicago, where he co-leads the Development Economics Center and directs the Obama Foundation Scholars program. He joins host Krys Boyd to discuss his years of peacemaking experience, why compromise sometimes loses out to conflict, and how to encourage warring parties to make a deal. His book is “Why We Fight: The Roots of War and the Paths to Peace.”
Roe V. Wade seemed like a decision set in stone, when in reality, it’s been chipped away at for the last 50 years. Rosemary Westwood, host and public health reporter with WWNO/WRKF, joins host Krys Boyd to discuss the specific Mississippi abortion ban case that has made it to the Supreme Court, the people behind it, and why that law in particular successfully grabbed the spotlight. Her podcast is called “Banned: The Mississippi Case to End Roe V. Wade.”
What would our world look like if everyone gave up eating meat? Roanne van Voorst is a futures-anthropologist, president of the Dutch Future Society and works as a lecturer and researcher in sustainable humanity and futures-anthropology at the University of Amsterdam. She joins host Krys Boyd to discuss her vision for a world not reliant on meat for food or clothing, and to make an argument for giving it up for the health of the planet. Her book is “Once Upon a Time We Ate Animals: The Future of Food.”
This episode was originally aired on February 7, 2022.
Research says that we hold as many as 13 secrets at any given time. Columbia University’s Michael Slepian joins host Krys Boyd to discuss why secret-keeping isolates us – and who we should tell our secrets to. His book is “The Secret Life of Secrets: How Our Inner Worlds Shape Well-Being, Relationships, and Who We Are.”
In the #MeToo era, should the punishments for all offenders be the same? New York Times columnist Pamela Paul joins host Krys Boyd to discuss the case of actor Frank Langella, who was fired from a Netflix show, and to explore if unacceptable workplace conduct should always be equated with sexual harassment. Her essay is “Netflix Fired Frank Langella. Was That the Right Thing to Do?”
The medical community is still perfecting transplant surgeries – something doctors have been working on since ancient Egypt. Paul Craddock is an honorary senior research associate in the Division of Surgery and Interventional Sciences at UCL Medical School in London. He joins host Krys Boyd to discuss 16th-century skin grafts, 18th-century tooth transplants and modern-day medical breakthroughs. His book is “Spare Parts: The Story of Medicine Through the History of Transplant Surgery.”
The price paid for a $12 swimsuit gets very expensive environmentally when you consider the landfills full of discarded clothing. But that hasn’t stopped the demand. Wired contributing writer Vauhini Vara joins host Krys Boyd to discuss Shein, which owns 28-percent of the fast fashion market in the U.S., and how it’s part of a more harmful “ultra-fast fashion” market that negatively impacts both environmental and labor practices. Her article is called “Fast, Cheap, and Out of Control: Inside Shein’s Sudden Rise.”
Imagine if we all just embraced our anxiety rather than trying to seek to eradicate it. Tracy Dennis-Tiwary is a professor of psychology and neuroscience at Hunter College, the City University of New York, where she directs the Emotion Regulation Lab. She joins host Krys Boyd to discuss why, she says, anxiety is tied to hope, and why linking it to disease is an outmoded way of thinking. Her book is “Future Tense: Why Anxiety Is Good For You (Even Though It Feels Bad).”
The Bachelor and Real Housewives seem like trash TV until you also consider they might be a mirror to society’s values. Danielle J. Lindemann, Associate Professor of Sociology at Lehigh University, joins host Krys Boyd to discuss all the ways reality TV addresses race, gender, sexuality, and why everything from Cops to Below Deck shines a light on what America continues to hold dear. Her book is “True Story: What Reality TV Says About Us.”
Americans are drinking less, and the ones that are looking to quit altogether have new models by which to fashion their sobriety. Virginia Heffernan is a contributor at Wired and she joins host Krys Boyd to discuss our changing relationship to alcohol, from “soberinfluencers” to Dry January, and the new methods of recovery that eschew the 12-step method. Her article is called “The End of Alcohol.”
The fact of the matter is, even today, we know an awful lot more about male reproductive organs than female ones. Science journalist Rachel E. Gross joins host Krys Boyd to discuss the pioneering researchers and biologists from around the world working to better understand the uterus, ovaries, and vagina, in ways that fall outside the realm of just baby-making faculties. Her book is called “Vagina Obscura: An Anatomical Voyage.”
The line between a public’s right to know and an individual’s right to privacy is murky. Amy Gajda is the Class of 1937 Professor of Law at Tulane Law School and she joins host Krys Boyd to discuss the ethics of data privacy in the tech age, from modern muckraking journalism to a person’s right to be forgotten—and if we even still have it. Her book is called “Seek and Hide: The Tangled History of the Right to Privacy.”
America has a nostalgic reverence for World War II, which in some ways has shaped our national identity. West Point English professor Elizabeth D. Samet joins host Krys Boyd to discuss the picture of American exceptionalism that emerged post-war, the ways it has shaped domestic and foreign policy, and the myths it created. Her book is called “Looking for the Good War: American Amnesia and the Violent Pursuit of Happiness.”
This episode originally aired on January 10, 2022.
The notion that a good guy with a gun will stop a bad guy with a gun hasn’t stopped the continued wave of mass shootings. Seamus McGraw joins host Krys Boyd to discuss the pattern of American mass gun violence – from the 1966 massacre at the University of Texas at Austin to today. His book is “From a Taller Tower: The Rise of the American Mass Shooter.”
This episode originally aired on May 24, 2021.
Illiberal forces are on the rise throughout the country and the world. Francis Fukuyama is the Olivier Nomellini Senior Fellow at Stanford University’s Freeman Spogli Institute for International Studies. He joins host Krys Boyd to discuss the pushback against classical thoughts about individual rights, rule of law, and equality, and what he sees as the decaying of American institutions. His book is called “Liberalism and Its Discontents.”
The recent Amazon warehouse unionization vote is just part of a long history of labor movements in this country. Teen Vogue labor columnist Kim Kelly joins host Krys Boyd to discuss the people who fought for workers’ rights and to offer perspective on the needs of the working class. Her book is called “Fight Like Hell: The Untold History of American Labor.”
We take alphabetization for granted, but it’s a relatively new way to classify the things we hold dear. Judith Flanders, social historian and senior research fellow at the University of Buckingham, joins host Krys Boyd to discuss how alphabetization came to be, why it took so long to take hold, and what makes it a symbol of Western knowledge. Her book, now out in paperback, is “A Place for Everything: The Curious History of Alphabetical Order.”
There’s a long history, going back centuries, of treating some people’s pain and ignoring others. Haider Warraich is a doctor at Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Harvard Medical School and the VA Boston Healthcare System. He joins host Krys Boyd to discuss why there’s more to understanding pain than what’s measurable – and about how power dynamics have always played into its treatment. His book is “The Song of Our Scars: The Untold Story of Pain.”
The rigor of scientific research might have unlocked the mystery of the creative spark. Pulitzer-Prize winning New York Times science reporter Matt Richtel joins host Krys Boyd to talk about creativity and what awakens it, the conditions where it thrives and what happens when it’s blocked. His book is “Inspired: Understanding Creativity: A Journey Through Art, Science, and the Soul.”
A diagnosis of severe ADHD can be hard to swallow, but it can also offer a new understanding of yourself. Rebecca Schiller is co-founder and trustee of the human rights organization Birthrights and a regular contributor to The Guardian. She joins host Krys Boyd to talk about her journey to be seen by specialists and about learning to navigate her life in a new way. Her book is “A Thousand Ways to Pay Attention: A Memoir of Coming Home to My Neurodivergent Mind.”
It’s pretty clear at this point that social media connects us and also divides us. Social psychologist Jonathan Haidt joins host Krys Boyd to discuss how tech companies have sowed rifts and how he says the communication breakdown means we are now being ruled by mob dynamics. His article in The Atlantic is called “After Babel.”
From extreme weather events to plane crashes, disasters are always looming. Juliette Kayyem is Robert and Renee Belfer Senior Lecturer in Public Policy at Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government, where she is faculty director of the Homeland Security Project and the Security and Global Health Project. She joins host Krys Boyd to discuss her approach to crisis management and why she feels like we’re always a step behind. Her book is “The Devil Never Sleeps: Learning to Live in an Age of Disasters.”
A diagnosis of breast cancer meant a nurse became the patient. Theresa Brown is an author and registered nurse, and she joins host Krys Boyd to discuss being on the other side of treatments, her frustrations with being reduced to her disease, and her worries that speaking up would make her a difficult patient and alienate the very doctors trying to save her. Her book is called “Healing: When a Nurse Becomes a Patient.”
Of all the species on Earth, humans have easily had the biggest impact. This hour, we’ll look at how our actions have affected everything from the bug population to the plants and trees many animals call home. And we’ll talk about the possibility of reviving creatures that have gone extinct…. and if we should?
To be or not to be? That might be a better question for science than Shakespeare. Kathryn Harkup joins host Krys Boyd to talk about the many ways The Bard killed off his characters, their feasibility in real life and how audiences of the day would’ve reacted to the dramatic demises. Her book is “Death By Shakespeare: Snakebites, Stabbings and Broken Hearts.”
If there is to be a shift to renewable energy, there must be a focus on developing batteries that can meet the challenge. New Yorker contributing writer Matthew Hutson joins host Krys Boyd to discuss why there needs to be 100-times more storage for renewables by 2040, and why that goal is currently out of reach. His article is “The Renewable-Energy Revolution Will Need Renewable Storage.”
The bond market is high risk, high reward and cutthroat. Mary Childs is co-host and correspondent for NPR’s “Planet Money” podcast. She joins host Krys Boyd to talk about Bill Gross, known as “The Bond King,” his rise to the top of a volatile world and his eventual undoing. Her book is “The Bond King: How One Man Made a Market, Built an Empire, and Lost It All.”
It might not be aging that causes health decline, but ageism. Becca Levy is a professor of epidemiology at the Yale School of Public Health and a professor of psychology at Yale. She joins host Krys Boyd to discuss the beliefs around aging and how policy changes and positive thinking can create successful outcomes. Her book is “Breaking the Age Code: How Your Beliefs About Aging Determine How Long and Well You Live.”
From bird song to electronic music, sound shapes our world. David George Haskell, professor of biology and environmental studies at the University of the South and a Guggenheim Fellow, joins host Krys Boyd to discuss sonic diversity and its importance to human and animal life – and how we are silencing those critical noises around us. His book is “Sounds Wild and Broken: Sonic Marvels, Evolution’s Creativity, and the Crisis of Sensory Extinction.”
Shame can be a tool for justice and morality – and it can also be weaponized. Cathy O’Neil launched the Lede Program for data journalism at Columbia University. She joins host Krys Boyd to discuss the relationship between shame and power and when cancel culture is beneficial and when it goes too far. Her book is “The Shame Machine: Who Profits in the New Age of Humiliation.”
Addiction has long been recorded in human history, centuries before the opioid crisis. Carl Erik Fisher is an addiction physician and bioethicist and an assistant professor of clinical psychiatry at Columbia University. He joins host Krys Boyd to discuss his own struggle with alcoholism and his search to find answers in the policies, people and treatments of both the recent and distant past. His book is “The Urge: Our History of Addiction.”
The Italians seem to have life worked out with good food and wine, and an outlook Americans could probably learn from. Beppe Severgnini is a columnist and editor for Italy’s largest circulation daily newspaper, Corriere della Sera. He joins guest host Courtney Collins to discuss the key takeaways from Italian life and gives insight into the charm that’s known around the world. His book is “Italian Lessons: Fifty Things We Know About Life Now.”
One million U.S. deaths have been recorded due to Covid-19. Scientific American senior editor Josh Fischman joins guest host Courtney Collins to discuss the after-effects of such an enormous death toll, including financial repercussions, effects on children and the new strain on social safety nets. His article is “What One Million COVID Dead Mean for the U.S.’s Future.”
Zoom can put us in a virtual room with someone, but it can never replace the touch and feel of another human being. Michelle Drouin is a psychology professor at Purdue University-Fort Wayne and senior research scientist at the Parkview Mirro Center for Research and Innovation. She joins guest host Courtney Collins to discuss why we’re increasingly isolated physically, emotionally and intellectually from one another and how we might reestablish that connection. Her book is “Out of Touch: How to Survive an Intimacy Famine.”
There are plenty of memes about #blackgirlmagic, but they often leave out the behind-the-scenes work it takes for Black and brown girls to achieve that magic. Minda Harts is assistant professor of public service at NYU’s Robert F. Wagner Graduate School of Public Service and the founder of The Memo LLC, a career development company for women of color. She joins guest host Courtney Collins to discuss her YA guide for young women of color to step into adulthood with the tools necessary for self-confidence and success. Her book is “You Are More Than Magic: The Black and Brown Girls’ Guide to Finding Your Voice.”
There’s a breadth and depth to Zora Neale Hurston’s writing that goes far beyond “Their Eyes Were Watching God.” Genevieve West, Chair of the Department of Language, Culture & Gender Studies at Texas Women’s University, joins guest host John McCaa to discuss her extensive compilation of Hurston’s work. It’s co-edited with Henry Louis Gates Jr., and features essays, criticism and articles of the Harlem Renaissance author. The book is called “You Don’t Know Us Negroes and Other Essays.”
This episode originally aired on Feb. 24, 2022.
In an attempt to heal a bitterly divided country after the Civil War, President Abraham Lincoln preached moderation and forgiveness. John Avlon, senior political analyst and anchor at CNN, joins guest host John McCaa to discuss Lincoln as peacemaker, his approach of reason over brute strength, and how that was derailed after his assassination. His book is “Lincoln and the Fight for Peace.”
Often, when we fall, it helps to simply look up and find hope in what’s above us. Hakeem Oluseyi is professor of physics and space sciences at the Florida Institute of Technology and has served at Science Mission Directorate at NASA Headquarters in Washington, D.C. He joins host Krys Boyd to talk about his early life, when he struggled with inequality, poverty and addiction, and how he found his way out by studying the stars. His book, co-authored with Joshua Horwitz, is “A Quantum Life: My Unlikely Journey from the Street to the Stars.”
This episode originally aired July 1, 2021.
Sometimes the hardest story to tell is your own. Melissa Febos teaches in the nonfiction writing program at the University of Iowa, and she joins host Krys Boyd to discuss writing her memoir, walking the line between vulnerability and over divulgence, and to offer guidance to other aspiring writers on how to begin their journey. Her book is called “Body Work: The Radical Power of Personal Narrative.”
This episode originally aired on Mar 17, 2022.
The glass ceiling may be broken, but the aspersions cast against mothers in the workplace remain. Lara Bazelon is a law professor at the University of San Francisco School of Law. She joins host Krys Boyd to discuss her argument that pursuing career goals is central to raising healthy, happy children – and that aspiration is part of the work-life balance. Her book is called “Ambitious Like a Mother: Why Prioritizing Your Career is Good for Your Kids.”
Powerful oil companies have known about the deleterious effects of climate change for decades. Filmmaker Dan Edge joins host Krys Boyd to discuss his new Frontline documentary, which looks into what scientists, politicians, lobbyists and the public knew about climate change and how oil companies cast doubt on global warming to influence policy to their benefit. The three-part series is called “The Power of Big Oil.”
As our understanding of gender evolves, it might be helpful to think about the topic by expanding beyond humans to include all primates. Frans de Waal is professor emeritus of primate behavior at Emory University and the former director of the Living Links Center at the Yerkes National Primate Research Center. He joins host Krys Boyd to discuss challenges to what’s understood about masculinity and femininity and the limitations of gender binary thinking. His book is “Different: Gender Through the Eyes of a Primatologist.”
The neuroscience of love is as complex as human nature. Stephanie Cacioppo is a neuroscientist who studies social connections and the neurobiology of romantic love and loneliness. She joins host Krys Boyd to discuss her story of love and loss, and what she’s learned about what makes us fall in love and what breaks our hearts. Her book is called “Wired for Love: A Neuroscientist’s Journey Through Romance, Loss, & the Essence of Human Connection.”
We rely on artificial intelligence to choose our movies, our music, even our dates. At this point, are we blindly following where it leads us? Three experts join us to talk about algorithms in our lives and the consequences of turning over so much power to them. Journalist Chris Jones talks about re-learning how to think for ourselves; Greg Beringer of The New York Times discusses the geopolitical influences of our digital maps; and Karen Hao of MIT Technology Review talks about Facebook’s “machine learning” algorithms.
A growing number of activists are prepping for the fall of Roe v Wade. Journalist Jessica Bruder joins host Krys Boyd to discuss networks of “community providers” – those who perform abortions outside the medical establishment for women who cannot access care for themselves. Her article, published in The Atlantic, is called “The Abortion Underground.”
You can exercise free will… unless a predictive algorithm gets there first. Carissa Véliz of Wired magazine joins host Krys Boyd to discuss the increasingly ever-present A.I. in our lives, from putting us into categories to predicting the language of our texts, and what that means for human agency now and far into the future. Her article is called “If AI is predicting your future, are you still free?”
The West professes unity over the war in Ukraine, but are there cracks in that story? Tom McTague, staff writer at The Atlantic, joins host Krys Boyd to argue that Russian aggression must be seen in a larger geopolitical light, with China and its threat to democracy closely linked. His article is called “The West’s World War II Moment.”
The first step to implementing a big idea is to dream one up in the first place. Gal Beckerman, writer and editor at The New York Times Book Review, joins host Krys Boyd to discuss the origins of big ideas – from the scientific revolution to feminism – and the surprising ways movements spread. His book is “The Quiet Before: On the Unexpected Origins of Radical Ideas.”
West Ford was a freed slave, a property owner, and possibly the child of the nation’s first president. New Yorker contributor Jill Abramson joins host Krys Boyd to discuss the parentage of West Ford, his possible connection to George Washington, and the fight to save Gum Springs – one of the oldest surviving freedmen’s villages in the U.S. Her article is “Did George Washington have an enslaved son?”
One way to understand the immigrant experience is through food. Author Madhushree Ghosh joins host Krys Boyd to discuss her memoir, which takes us on a trip through America to South Asia, where she recounts the cooks and food stalls and recipes that have given her insight into her own rich lived experiences. Her book is “Khabaar: An Immigrant Journey of Food, Memory and Family.”
A sad song can make us cry – and, ironically, also bring us joy. Author Susan Cain joins host Krys Boyd to discuss bittersweetness – that mix of sorrow and comfort – and why embracing it can lead to creativity and unlock empathy for one another. Her book is called “Bittersweet: How Sorrow and Longing Make Us Whole.”
Technology can bring the dead back to digital life. Writer Leo Kim joins host Krys Boyd to discuss A.I. that makes those who’ve passed on seem animated again, the ethical struggles of that, and the comfort it can bring to grieving families, friends and fans. His article for Wired is called “Deepfakes Can Help Families Mourn – or Exploit Their Grief.”
Drug companies exert a lot of control over which products make it from clinical trials to prescription pads. Dr. John Abramson, family physician and Harvard Medical School faculty member, joins host Krys Boyd to discuss the financial interests that influence drug research and consumer release, and how that plays into America’s health care system. His book is called “Sickening: How Big Pharma Broke American Health Care and How We Can Repair It.”
From Post-It notes to fingerprints, we are surrounded by stickiness. Physicist Laurie Winkless joins host Krys Boyd to discuss the fascinating world of surfaces, a surprising mix of engineering and science, that defines the world around us – from the products we use to our very molecules. Her book is “Sticky: The Secret Science of Surfaces.”
Boxes in the attic aren’t just filled with things, they’re filled with memories. Matt Paxton, host of the PBS show “Legacy List with Matt Paxton” and a featured cleaner on “Hoarders,” joins host Krys Boyd to discuss how to sort through clutter to find and keep possessions that have meaning, let go of what doesn’t, and help loved ones through the process, too. His book “Keep the Memories, Lose the Stuff: Declutter, Downsize, and Move Forward with Your Life” is now out in paperback.
Is it considered a safe career move to avoid writing about a touchy subject, or is that playing into moral panic? Writer Sarah Hepola joins host Krys Boyd to discuss the ways she has muted herself as she walked the line between outspoken artist and an author simply hoping to make the rent, and to contemplate what cancel culture means for writers. Her article “The Things I’m Afraid to Write About” was published in The Atlantic.
A good step toward happiness might be putting down the screen and picking up a hobby. Author Christina Crook joins host Krys Boyd to discuss practical techniques for battling online fatigue and disconnecting from our devices in order to fully engage in everyday life again. Her book is “Good Burdens: How to Live Joyfully in the Digital Age.”
One way to open our minds to complex problems might be to observe art that forces us to think differently. Attorney and art historian Amy E. Herman joins host Krys Boyd to discuss her method for training leaders to look to works of art to work out ways to mend what’s broken in their organizations. Her book is “Fixed: How to Perfect the Fine Art of Problem Solving.”
Born in 1937 to a Czech diplomat father, Madeleine Albright had an inside look at the world of diplomacy from the start. And in 1997, President Bill Clinton named her U.S. Secretary of State – at the time the highest office ever held by a woman in the Federal government. Albright died Wednesday – she was 84. So today, we’ll revisit host Krys Boyd’s 2017 conversation with her, before a live audience at the LBJ Presidential Library in Austin, when they talked about her career in diplomacy and life as a woman in leadership.
For one Black woman, escaping racism meant moving away from the “American Dream.” Tiffanie Drayton joins host Krys Boyd to discuss her move as a child to the U.S. – where she experienced racism – and her decision as a young adult to move back to Tobago. Her book is “Black American Refugee: Escaping the Narcissism of the American Dream.”
Racial inequality and inequities in health care are inextricably linked. Dayna Bowen Matthew is the dean and Harold H. Greene Professor of Law at the George Washington University Law School. She joins host Krys Boyd to discuss the ways systemic racism harms the health of minority communities and to offer solutions for more equitable health care. Her book is called “Just Health: Treating Structural Racism to Heal America.”
In corporate efforts to increase diversity, equity and inclusion, age is often left out. Megan Gerhardt is co-director of the Center for Business Leadership at Miami University. She joins host Krys Boyd to discuss intergenerational workplaces, why age accounts for only 8 percent of DEI efforts, and strategies for change. Her article “Harnessing the power of age diversity,” was published in the Harvard Business Review.
As war unfolds, how do calmer heads prevail? Doyle Hodges, executive editor at Texas National Security Review, joins host Krys Boyd to discuss the role of emotion in war, the many ways fear can hinder response and effectiveness, and how to protect civil liberties and maintain community during turmoil. His recent essay on the topic is “Serenity, Courage, and Wisdom.”
The images of death and destruction coming out of Ukraine are hard to shake once you’ve seen them. And many of them have been captured by Lynsey Addario, one of the world’s preeminent war photographers. Addario spoke with host Krys Boyd in 2015 to talk about her life documenting conflict in Afghanistan, Iraq, Darfur, Libya and elsewhere around the world. She wrote about the experience in her memoir, “It’s What I Do: A Photographer’s Life of Love and War,” and because she once again finds herself in a war zone, we’re revisiting this conversation about how she does what she does.
The pandemic has seen a rise in female unemployment, up to almost 15 percent. Reshma Saujani, activist and founder of Girls Who Code and the Marshall Plan for Moms, joins host Krys Boyd to discuss why women cannot just “lean in” to inequality in the workplace – and why she says it’s time for a paradigm shift in corporate policy. Her book is called “Pay Up: The Future of Women and Work (and Why It’s Different Than You Think).”
Imani Perry is an Alabama native who eventually grew up in northern cities. And after becoming a professor of African American studies at Princeton, she thought it might be time to revisit the South to take another look. She joins host Krys Boyd to discuss her return to her Southern home with fresh eyes, weaving in the stories of the good-tempered with a darker history. Her book is called “South to America: A Journey Below the Mason-Dixon to Understand the Soul of a Nation.”
Lions and tigers and bears — they might all be entitled to the same rights as a two-legged person. New Yorker staff writer Lawrence Wright joins host Krys Boyd to discuss human rights and how activists are fighting to extend them to animals, with court cases all over the world turning away from previous animal welfare models. His article is “The Elephant in the Courtroom.”
There are those who work the night shift out of necessity, but there are some who seek it out for the solitude. Faith Hill, associate editor at The Atlantic, joins host Krys Boyd to discuss extreme introverts – people who crave being alone – and the ways they get around interacting with the rest of society. Her article is called “The Nocturnals.”
Democracies are in danger around the world – and some argue here at home, too. Nicole Bibbins Sedaca, Kelly and David Pfeil Fellow at the George W. Bush Institute, joins guest host John McCaa to discuss the health of democracies amid the rise of authoritarianism – and what can be done to strengthen them.
There’s a point when we reach the pinnacle of our career, but that doesn’t mean an inevitable decline. Arthur C. Brooks of Harvard’s Kennedy School and Harvard Business School joins host Krys Boyd to discuss his research, starting at the age of 50, to understand how to move past waning opportunities for advancement and embrace aging with all its many wonderful possibilities. His book is “From Strength to Strength: Finding Success, Happiness, and Deep Purpose in the Second Half of Life.“
Work often fulfills the need for belonging and purpose — needs that have traditionally been met for many by religious affiliation. Carolyn Chen, associate professor of ethnic studies at the University of California, Berkeley, joins host Krys Boyd to discuss her five years spent researching Silicon Valley, where she found spiritual practices like mindfulness are being introduced to increase production while affiliations with places of worship outside the office are slipping away. Her book is called “Work Pray Code: When Work Becomes Religion in Silicon Valley.”
It’s important to look on the bright side of life, but sometimes we need to balance that positivity with reality. Psychotherapist Whitney Goodman joins host Krys Boyd to discuss why the messages we’re getting about always being happy are making us depressed and anxious, and what to do about it. Her book is called “Toxic Positivity: Keeping it Real in a World Obsessed with Being Happy.”
When a stroke took away vision in one eye, an opportunity for seeing life in a new way opened. Former New York Times columnist Frank Bruni joins host Krys Boyd to discuss his vision loss, the diagnosis that he could lose his sight in both eyes, and the resulting reframing of his priorities. His book is called “The Beauty of Dusk: On Vision Lost and Found.”
It can be hard to focus on one task — and that might be good for you. Cognitive neuroscientist Moshe Bar joins host Krys Boyd to discuss why divided attention can lead to bigger discoveries — from lessening anxiety to better connecting the dots of our daily lives. His book is “Mindwandering: How your Constant Mental Drift Can Improve Your Mood and Boost Your Creativity.”
There’s a reason why “autocrat” is usually a synonym for “strongman”. Zoe Marks is a lecturer in public policy at Harvard Kennedy School, and she joins host Krys Boyd to discuss the newest wave of patriarchal authoritarianism sweeping the globe, and the reversals of women’s rights that have followed. Her Foreign Affairs article “Revenge of the Patriarchs, Why Autocrats Fear Women” was co-authored with Harvard Kennedy School’s Erica Chenoweth.
The absence of some annoying bugs isn’t necessarily disturbing … but the loss of a lot of insects is a problem. Oliver Milman, an environment reporter for The Guardian, joins host Krys Boyd to discuss the collapse of the insect world, how insects connect intrinsically to the human world, and why our planet will be in peril without them. He is the author of “The Insect Crisis: The Fall of the Tiny Empires That Run the World.”
Scholarly understanding of how the first humans populated the Americas 20,000 years ago is still evolving. University of Kansas anthropologist Jennifer Raff joins host Krys Boyd to discuss new research into early migration patterns and what it says about human history. Her book is “Origin: A Genetic History of the Americas.”
Our brains are wired to seek pleasure – but they aren’t always great at anticipating the pain that pleasure can lead to. Dr. Anna Lembke is a medical director of Stanford Addiction Medicine, and she joins host Krys Boyd to discuss the neuroscience of pleasure, why our bodies crave it, and the consequences of overconsumption. Her book is “Dopamine Nation: Finding Balance in the Age of Indulgence.”
Religious scholars and artists alike have collectively pondered for centuries: What does God look like? Francesca Stavrakopoulou, professor of Hebrew Bible and ancient religion at the University of Exeter, joins host Krys Boyd to discuss her research specifically of the Bible to arrive at a portrait of a complex god whose appearance was shaped by early worshipers. Her book is called “God: An Anatomy.”
The Underground Railroad ferried enslaved people to the North, but turning south to Mexico provided opportunity for freedom, too. Alice L. Baumgartner is assistant professor of history at the University of Southern California, and she joins guest host John McCaa to discuss her research into the thousands who made their way south of the border, where slavery was outlawed, and where the formerly enslaved could hope to find independence and agency. Her book is called “Runaway Slaves to Mexico and the Road to the Civil War.”
What if there is no return to the normal we lived before the pandemic? And what if Covid is here to stay? Katherine Wu covers science for The Atlantic, and she joins host Krys Boyd to discuss what an endemic future might look like — the possibilities vary — and how humans will need to learn to co-exist with this virus. Her article, co-written with Jacob Stern, is “Endemicity Is Meaningless.”
Can an introvert simply decide one day to become an extrovert? What about willing yourself to happiness? Atlantic staff writer Olga Khazan joins host Krys Boyd to talk about her quest to change five traits of her personality: extroversion, conscientiousness, agreeableness, openness and neuroticism, and the lessons she learned along the way. Her recent essay about the experience is headlined “My Personality Transplant.”
For some couples, a relationship isn’t restricted to just two people. Rachel Krantz is a founding editor of Bustle, and she joins host Krys Boyd to discuss navigating her relationship with a partner who preferred non-monogamy and the emotional journey she’s walked in her search for connection inside an open relationship. Her book is called “Open: An Uncensored Memoir of Love, Liberation, and Non-Monogamy.”
We look to the stars and maps to navigate, but it’s the higher functions of our minds that make it possible. Neuroscientist Christopher Kemp joins host Krys Boyd to discuss our brain’s ability to orient ourselves in space and find our way through a confusing world. His book is called “Dark and Magical Places: The Neuroscience of Navigation.”
We know we need to put on our running shoes and hit the pavement, but staying in bed is so much more attractive. Blame evolution. Daniel E. Lieberman, professor of human evolutionary biology at Harvard University, joins host Krys Boyd to talk about why we exercise and how that’s changed, the myths and realities of its benefits, and helpful motivations for getting off the couch. His book is “Exercised: Why Something We Never Evolved to Do is Healthy and Rewarding.”
This episode originally aired Jan. 4, 2021.
There’s an idea that we should live life with no regrets, but we all know that’s hard to do. Author Daniel Pink joins host Krys Boyd to discuss research drawing on regret that shows how it can be a force for improvement, even providing greater meaning to our lives. Plus, we’ll talk about some of the most common regrets that people across cultures experience. His book is called “The Power of Regret: How Looking Backward Moves Us Forward.”
We might get bored with the same clothes hanging in our closets – but a lot went into making those shirts and pants. Sofi Thanhauser teaches in the writing department at Pratt Institute. She joins host Krys Boyd to discuss her research into linen, cotton, silk, synthetics and wool; how they shaped civilization; and why, today, fashion has become a leading producer pollution on the planet. Her book is called “Worn: A People’s History of Clothing.“
Whether in fiction or real life, motherhood is always on trial. Author Jessamine Chan joins host Krys Boyd to discuss her novel “The School for Good Mothers,” which focuses on a Big Brother-like future in which perfect parenting is judged by the state, and where main character Frida Liu must find a way to prove that she is a good mother in order to win her daughter back.
In space, time is not linear, and scientists want to find out why. Adam Becker, a science writer at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, joins host Krys Boyd to discuss theories about the space-time continuum and how testing them can lead to a much deeper understanding of how the universe works. His Scientific American article is called “The Origins of Space and Time.”
It’s not science fiction, there’s serious science to bringing extinct species back to life. Beth Shapiro, associate professor of ecology and evolutionary biology at the University of California, Santa Cruz, joins host Krys Boyd to discuss cutting-edge DNA research and decisions about which animals might be brought back, along with ethical challenges that science must grapple with. Her book is called “How To Clone A Mammoth: The Science of De-Extinction.“
We all just want to have fun, but maybe we could be doing it better? Science journalist Catherine Price joins host Krys Boyd to discuss her definition of “true fun” — more about playfulness, less about binge watching TV — and why she feels it can lead us to happier, more fulfilling lives. Her book is called “The Power of Fun: How to Feel Alive Again.”
The most iconic piece of American clothing is probably the blue jean. Filmmaker Michael Bicks joins host Krys Boyd to talk about the history of jeans, how they have swept the globe as a fashion staple and why they are a touchstone for major moments in our nation’s history. The PBS American Experience documentary “Riveted: The History of Jeans” is available at PBS.org.
Often, investigating stories of the slave trade means looking below the water’s surface. Tara Roberts, National Geographic Explorer and Storyteller, joins host Krys Boyd to discuss why she quit her job to join a group of Black underwater divers searching for trans-Atlantic slave ship history, to deepen her understanding of history and share the truth of 400 years of brutality. Her National Geographic cover story and podcast is called “Into the Depths.”
More than 2 million people are incarcerated in American prisons – and their lives go on even when they are out of sight from much of the population. Nigel Poor and Earlonne Woods are co-hosts of the podcast “Ear Hustle,” and they join host Krys Boyd to talk about what they’ve learned about life on the inside from the inmates who share their stories both on the podcast and in their new book, “This Is Ear Hustle: Unflinching Stories of Everyday Prison Life.”
This episode originally aired Oct. 26, 2021.
When a great-great-grandfather’s violin turns out to be a Stradivarius, a rural Black child’s future opens up. Author Brendan Nicholaus Slocumb joins host Krys Boyd to talk about his novel, “The Violin Conspiracy.” It’s a thriller, which explores class and race in contemporary classical music circles and involves the theft and ransom of a treasured instrument, a family inheritance called into question.
There’s so much more to the 1990s than just the angst of Gen X — but that does heavily define it. Author Chuck Klosterman joins host Krys Boyd to talk about his examination of a decade or so defined by burgeoning tech and 9/11, plus Seinfeld and Oprah. His newest work is “The Nineties: A Book.”
The world is watching as Russia continues to amass a large military presence on the border with Ukraine. David J. Kramer, managing director of global policy at the George W. Bush Institute, joins host Krys Boyd to discuss Russia’s motives, the Western response to the growing conflict, and if there will be war in Europe – potentially the largest invasion since World War II.
What is friendship but a chronicling of two lives, sometimes best described in prose. Essayist B.D. McClay joins host Krys Boyd to discuss the many phases of a friendship, from joy to loss, using touchstones from classic stories. Her essay published in Lapham’s Quarterly is called “Summer, Glorious Summer.”
This episode originally aired Sept. 9, 2021.
Scrolling endlessly without focusing on one thought is a problem of modern life. Journalist Johann Hari joins host Krys Boyd to discuss why we’re only able to focus on tasks for minutes at a time, what happened to our attention span, and how these racing thoughts can be monetized by big tech. His book is “Stolen Focus: Why You Can’t Pay Attention and How to Think Deeply Again.”
When the world went into lockdown, Danielle Tcholakian took on sobriety. The Jezebel columnist joins host Krys Boyd to discuss the first year she lived without alcohol – a year during which so many people lived in fear and isolation at the beginning of the pandemic, but she found freedom and purpose. Her article is “I Got Sober in the Pandemic. It Saved My Life.”
With English as a global lingua franca, what other cultures and linguistic traditions are we missing out on? Rosemary Salomone is a linguist, lawyer and the Kenneth Wang Professor of Law at St. John’s University. She joins host Krys Boyd to discuss the implications for a world dominated by English – from legal issues to class divisions. Her book is called “The Rise of English: Global Politics and the Power of Language.”
What would our world look like if everyone gave up eating meat? Roanne van Voorst is a futures-anthropologist, president of the Dutch Future Society and works as a lecturer and researcher in sustainable humanity and futures-anthropology at the University of Amsterdam. She joins host Krys Boyd to discuss her vision for a world not reliant on meat for food or clothing, and to make an argument for giving it up for the health of the planet. Her book is “Once Upon a Time We Ate Animals: The Future of Food.”
If you’re wondering if you might be part of a cult, listen closely to those around you – if everyone sounds the same, that might be a clue. Amanda Montell is a language scholar and host/creator of the “Sounds Like a Cult” podcast, and she joins host Krys Boyd to talk about how language is used to develop the us vs. them mentality that solidifies people’s membership in cults – and cultish organizations. Her book is called “Cultish: The Language of Fanaticism.”
The episode originally aired Aug. 10, 2021.
Sometimes, to escape life’s mounting problems, it is essential to take a walk in the woods. Lucy Jones joins host Krys Boyd to talk about her story of overcoming addiction by forming a deep connection with the beauty of nature, and the biological reasons humans need to be outside. Her book is “Losing Eden: Our Fundamental Need for the Natural World – And Its Ability to Heal Body and Soul.”
This episode originally aired Aug. 5, 2021.
Only 2 percent of American TV productions star Latino actors — that’s despite Latinos making up more than 18 percent of the U.S. population and growing. Frederick Luis Aldama, Distinguished University Professor at The Ohio State University, joins host Krys Boyd to talk about Latino representation on television – and about how too often that representation devolves into stereotypes. His book, co-written with William Anthony Nericcio, is called “Talking #browntv: Latinas and Latinos On the Screen.”
This episode originally aired Jan 22, 2021.
As the world population ages, entire systems of work and government must change to meet the moment. Bradley Schurman, founder and CEO of The Super Age, a global strategic research and advisory firm, joins host Krys Boyd to discuss what he sees as a social and market force tipping point: when 20 percent or more of a given population is over age 65. He’ll explain the challenges that brings and the growth opportunities it can present. His book is called “The Super Age: Decoding Our Demographic Destiny.”
Last summer, Texas enacted a permitless carry law for gun owners. Journalist Rachel Monroe joins host Krys Boyd to discuss the ramifications for public safety, fringe groups dominating the conversation about gun rights, and how Texans feel about this loosening of gun regulations. Her article published in Harper’s Magazine is “Free Country.”
Anger isn’t always destructive – and sometimes it’s actually a force for good. Myisha Cherry is an assistant professor of philosophy at the University of California, Riverside, and she joins host Krys Boyd to discuss why the fight against racism means breaking rules and making people angry. Plus, we’ll explore the psychology and philosophy of anti-racist thinking. Her book is called “The Case for Rage: Why Anger Is Essential to Anti-Racist Struggle.”
We all enjoy taking that old record off the shelf now and then — but what does that cost today’s musical artists? Ted Gioia, music historian, culture critic, and author of the Substack “The Honest Broker,” joins host Krys Boyd to talk about why 70 percent of music demand today is for old songs, with publishing companies investing in vintage catalogs while ignoring new, emerging talent. His recent article on the topic is “Is Old Music Killing New Music?”
A crisis of confidence can be combated with a mixture of skill and discipline. Nate Zinsser, director of West Point’s Performance-Psychology program, joins host Krys Boyd to discuss his step-by-step guide to overcoming the mental pressures holding us back, and the success that comes from mastering performance anxiety. His book is “The Confident Mind: A Battle-Tested Guide to Unshakable Performance.”
We’ve all experienced a broken heart – and it might make you feel better that there is science that explains why. Journalist Florence Williams joins host Krys Boyd to discuss her painful divorce and how that led her to uncover the latest research on loneliness and its connection to health. Plus, we’ll hear about how she battled through sadness to find peace again. Her book is “Heartbreak: A Personal and Scientific Journey.”
So you’re thinking about finally changing jobs? What now? This hour, we’ve got help for millions of Americans taking advantage of a workers’ job market. Host Krys Boyd talks with a Stanford professor about applying design thinking to our careers. We’ll hear from a Duke executive coach about how to see incremental gains in our career paths. And we’ll find out how to assess if the company you’re interviewing with actually values DEI.
From Jazzercise to yoga studios, women’s fitness has become both an identity and big business. Journalist Danielle Friedman joins host Krys Boyd to discuss how getting in shape morphed from simply being a beauty tool to a force for physical and emotional well-being, and what that says about feminism. Her book is called “Let’s Get Physical: How Women Discovered Exercise and Reshaped the World.”
A name has power which can sometimes take years to fully embrace. Marian Chia-Ming Liu is The Washington Post’s Operations Editor, and she joins host Krys Boyd to discuss why she reclaimed her Chinese middle name after waves of Asian-American violence made frontpage news, and the journey that brought her to a new understanding of who she is. Her recent essay is headlined “The Power of Reclaiming My Asian Name.”
Have you heard of the child star with international reach who got his start by opening boxes of toys? If not, your kids surely have. New York Times writer Jay Caspian Kang joins host Krys Boyd to talk about 10-year-old Ryan Kaji and the $25 million a year toy empire he built with the help of his parents that has major brands angling for partnerships. His article is for The New York Times magazine is headlined “The Boy King of YouTube.”
Learning to respect one another is important, but what if we could take it a step further and actually learn to love even our opponents. Valarie Kaur is a Sikh activist, lawyer, filmmaker and founder of the Revolutionary Love Project, and she joins host Krys Boyd to talk about her approach to conflict resolution and why she says every interaction we have should begin with love. Her book is called “See No Stranger: A Memoir and Manifesto of Revolutionary Love.”
It’s an evolutionary benefit that our feelings are not separate from our thoughts. Theoretical physicist Leonard Mlodinow joins host Krys Boyd to discuss emerging science working to better understand how our decisions, big and small, are influenced by our emotions, and why harnessing that knowledge can help us lead happier, healthier lives. His book is called “Emotional: How Feelings Shape Our Thinking.”
One takeaway from the current Great Resignation is workers are burned out. Author Jonathan Malesic joins host Krys Boyd to talk about what we can do about feelings of worthlessness and exhaustion, whether that’s from inside a cubical or via the virtual office. His book is called “The End of Burnout: Why Work Drains Us and How to Build Better Lives.”
When her father, President Ronald Reagan, announced he had Alzheimer’s, Patti Davis and her family began a very public journey to cope with the disease. Davis joins host Krys Boyd to discuss the support group she founded and the struggle with prolonged grief that comes with the illness. Her book is “Floating in the Deep End: How Caregivers can See Beyond Alzheimer’s.”
This episode originally aired Dec. 2, 2021.
If you picked up baking sourdough during the pandemic, 59-percent of Americans joined you in a hobby, too. Julie Beck, senior editor at The Atlantic, joins guest host Courtney Collins to discuss why our free time is often seen as a hole to fill with activity and productivity, and why that might be more a reflection on capitalism rather than personal goals. Her recent article is “How Hobbies Infiltrated American Life.”
Prom is a rite of passage for American teens, and the stories that emerge from that night can shape the rest of a life. Author Navdeep Singh Dhillon joins guest host Courtney Collins to discuss his YA novel set at a high school prom, where a young Sikh boy wants to radically change his identity – and along with a similarly dispositioned girl – sets off for a night of adventure and hard lessons. The book is called “Sunny G’s Series of Rash Decisions.”
One of medicine’s great mysteries is: Why does the body’s immune system sometimes attack itself? Scientific American senior editor Josh Fischman joins guest host Courtney Collins to talk about rheumatoid arthritis, lupus, multiple sclerosis and other autoimmune diseases and the progress being made to fight them. “The Body Against Itself” appears in the September issue of Scientific American.
This episode originally aired on Sept. 21, 2021
Even the smallest stressors can imprint significant traumas on our bodies and brains. Rutgers University professor Tracey Shors joins guest host Courtney Collins to discuss how the body processes trauma and the therapeutic approaches to help mitigate the negative effects it has on our lives. Her book is called “Everyday Trauma: Remapping the Brain’s Response to Stress, Anxiety, and Painful Memories for a Better Life.”
When bears attack, there’s probably an animal conflict resolution specialist standing by to take on the case. Mary Roach joins guest host Courtney Collins to talk about when humans and wildlife are in conflict – from errant elephants to rule-breaking moose and life-threatening trees. Her book is called “Fuzz: When Nature Breaks the Law.”
This episode originally aired on Sept. 24, 2021.
Anyone who’s ever followed a map knows it’s important to look up to understand the landscape. Chris Jones joins guest host Courtney Collins to talk about our ever-increasing dependence on data rather than common sense or personal mastery, and why that could be hampering creativity and good ideas. His book is called “The Eye Test: A Case for Human Creativity in the Age of Analytics.”
For the fictional Charlie Vega, coming-of-age means coming to terms with life as a brown girl in a bigger body. Author Crystal Maldonado joins guest host Courtney Collins to discuss her YA novel about a young woman dealing with the typical subjects of boys and friends, but also a deepening understanding of how she’s viewed by the outside world. The book is called “Fat Chance, Charlie Vega.”
This episode originally aired July 23, 2021.
Perhaps the global slide into authoritarianism can be better understood by an examination of the ancient past. Kara Cooney, professor of Egyptian art and architecture at UCLA, joins guest host Courtney Collins to discuss her research into the Egyptian pharaohs and why their system of rule and religious beliefs can help us to understand power and privilege in our modern world. Her book is called “The Good Kings: Absolute Power in Ancient Egypt and the Modern World.”
To combat implicit bias, researchers are turning their focus to how our brains can be retrained. Shakil Choudhury is a consultant with 25 years of experience in justice, equity, diversity and inclusion training, and he joins host Krys Boyd to talk about addressing racism with the science of psychology, which he says helps mitigate feelings of shame or guilt in order to dig deep and do real work. His book is called “Deep Diversity: A Compassionate, Scientific Approach to Achieving Racial Justice.”
This interview originally aired on Aug. 30, 2021
Electricity makes our home appliances go, and it also animates the human body. Timothy J. Jorgensen is professor of radiation medicine and biochemistry and director of the Health Physics and Radiation Protection Graduate Program at Georgetown University. He joins host Krys Boyd to discuss advances in our understanding of the connection between electricity and the nervous system – and how these discoveries are changing how we live. His book is called “Spark: The Life of Electricity and the Electricity of Life.”
We’ve heard a chorus of women who say the pandemic has pushed moms to their breaking point. What about the dads? Chabeli Carrazana, covers the economy for The 19th, and she joins host Krys Boyd to discuss the men who are charting new waters as they balance raising children, work and the pressures of an ongoing public health emergency. Her article is headlined “Did the pandemic change dads forever?”
In the debate about abortion, the voices of women who feel they didn’t have a choice often aren’t heard. Author Merritt Tierce joins Krys Boyd to discuss her pregnancy at age 19, when she felt adoption and abortion were not options for her, and the dreams she gave up to have her baby. Her article, “The abortion I didn’t have,” appeared in The New York Times magazine.
Being unhoused in America not only has emotional costs, but financial ones, too. Lori Teresa Yearwood is a reporter who covers housing for the Economic Hardship Reporting Project, and she joins host Krys Boyd to talk about the fines and fees that those who find themselves homeless incur – and the devastating consequences they have on the path to recovery. Her recent essay published in The New York Times is headlined “The Bill for My Homelessness Was $54,000.”
Election audits have shown again and again: voter fraud is not a problem on a massive scale. Vann R. Newkirk II, senior editor at The Atlantic and host of the podcast Floodlines, joins host Krys Boyd to talk about the people targeted for voter irregularities – mostly people of color – and why they serve as a cautionary tale for the future of American voting rights. His recent article is headlined “When the Myth of Voter Fraud Comes For You.”
Some police reform activists have embraced the idea of abolishing police forces altogether. Derecka Purnell is a human rights lawyer, organizer and columnist for The Guardian, and she joins host Krys Boyd to discuss her journey to the moment where she began to believe police reform doesn’t work, and the solutions she feels are necessary for equality, healing and public safety. Her book is called “Becoming Abolitionists: Police, Protests, and the Pursuit of Freedom.”
Our health is a reflection of the world around us, and racism runs deep in the body’s response to that world. Dr. Rupa Marya is an associate professor of medicine at UC-San Francisco and faculty director of the Do No Harm Coalition. She joins host Krys Boyd to explain her theories of how climate change and inequality correlate to surges in inflammatory disease, and how they might be healed with a new approach to medicine. Her book, co-authored with UT Austin research scientist Raj Patel, is called “Inflamed: Deep Medicine and the Anatomy of Injustice.”
America has a nostalgic reverence for World War II, which in some ways has shaped our national identity. West Point English professor Elizabeth D. Samet joins host Krys Boyd to discuss the picture of American exceptionalism that emerged post-war, the ways it has shaped domestic and foreign policy, and the myths it created. Her book is called “Looking for the Good War: American Amnesia and the Violent Pursuit of Happiness.”
Forty million people live in single-income households, and that means shouldering immense financial burdens alone. Anne Helen Petersen, author of the Substack newsletter Culture Study, joins host Krys Boyd to discuss why the rate of singles and solo-living individuals is growing in America, what happens as the cost of living rises, and why she believes the nation is set up to reward the partnered and the married. Her Vox article is headlined “The escalating costs of being single in America.”
Our culture promises spontaneity as a key to happiness, but it would be good to remember there’s also comfort in repetition. Harper’s Magazine writer Meghan O’Gieblyn joins host Krys Boyd to discuss her thinking about a world more and more automated, what we can learn from habit, and how we can find freedom in even the most mundane tasks. Her article is headlined “Routine Maintenance.”
The Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders are iconic, but who are the women behind the million-dollar smiles? Sarah Hepola joins host Krys Boyd to discuss the organization from the inside out, from the glitz and glamour, to body image, sexualization and how the cheerleaders fit into #metoo today. Hepola hosts the Texas Monthly podcast “America’s Girls.”
You’ve probably heard the quote: “Power tends to corrupt, and absolute power corrupts absolutely.” The question is, why? Brian Klaas is professor of global politics at University College London, a columnist for The Washington Post and host of the Power Corrupts podcast. He joins host Krys Boyd to discuss the temptations and trappings of power, why we pick the leaders we do, and lessons we can learn from bad actors. His book is called “Corruptible: Who Gets Power and How It Changes Us.”
The worst blackout in Texas history happened in the winter of 2021. Is the state better prepared for this winter? Mose Buchele, KUT reporter and host of the podcast “The Disconnect: Power, Politics and the Texas Blackout,” joins host Krys Boyd to walk us through any regulatory or policy changes that have happened since the massive storm, and if Texas has secured the power grid for the future.
Baby Boomers saw technology jump from the telephone to the moon landing. Are the current incremental advances in smartphones anywhere close to that wonder? Michael Bhaskar is a writer, researcher and co-founder of Canelo Digital Publishing, and he joins host Krys Boyd to talk about how he believes risk aversion has led us to move away from dynamic discoveries, and why he says it’s time to dream big again. His book is called “Human Frontiers: The Future of Big Ideas in an Age of Small Thinking.”
Is the U.S. a nation of immigrants or a nation of immigrant restrictions? Reece Jones, chair of the Department of Geography and Environment at the University of Hawai‘i, joins host Krys Boyd to discuss his research into nativism and white supremacy and how panicked views about immigration from the fringe made it to the mainstream. His book is called “White Borders: The History of Race and Immigration in the United States from Chinese Exclusion to the Border Wall.”
Grappling with a father’s alcoholism becomes more complicated when a family lives on two sides of a border. Obed Silva joins host Krys Boyd to discuss his father, who his family left behind in Mexico to escape his drunken violence, and what it means to grieve for a complicated man who caused so much pain. His book is called “The Death of My Father the Pope: A Memoir.”
How many times have we heard that if you do what you love, you’ll never work a day in your life? What happens when the work you love leaves you overworked and exploited? Erin A. Cech, assistant professor of sociology at the University of Michigan, joins host Krys Boyd to discuss why the mantra of finding your calling in a career helps fuel a culture that sacrifices balance for long hours and low pay and solidifies class inequalities. Her book is called “The Trouble with Passion: How Searching for Fulfillment at Work Fosters Inequality.”
What if anxiousness caused by the pandemic could actually work in our favor? Dr. Wendy Suzuki is a professor of neural science and psychology in the Center for Neural Science at New York University, and she joins host Krys Boyd to discuss how we can master stress to put it to good use. Her book is called “Good Anxiety: Harnessing the Power of the Most Misunderstood Emotion.”
There was a time when “I want my MTV” meant music videos, not reality stars. Amanda Ann Klein, associate professor of film studies at East Carolina University, joins host Krys Boyd to discuss why the original music channel moved away from rock stars and shifted to ordinary people living wild lives. Her book is “Millennials Killed the Video Star: MTV’s Transition to Reality Programming.”
Families used to split up over inheritance and duty – and today the reasons also include boundaries, personal growth and happiness. Joshua Coleman is a psychologist and senior fellow at the Council on Contemporary Families, and he joins host Krys Boyd to talk about why parent-child bonds are easily severed in a modern family setting. His article “A Shift in American Family Values Is Fueling Estrangement” was published in The Atlantic.
Reggaeton can be heard all over Top 40 radio – and its rise to the top of the charts is a fascinating story of how music transcends borders. Katelina Eccleston is founder of Reggaeton Con La Gata and producer of the Spotify podcast “Loud,” and she joins host Krys Boyd to tell the story of reggaeton’s humble origins, how it spread from Panama to Puerto Rico, Jamaica and now the U.S., and the message it sends to listeners about race and power.
To better understand women’s health needs, it seems obvious that women researchers and physicians should be part of the conversation – but it’s only recently that that’s actually happened. Elinor Cleghorn suffered through a long series of misdiagnoses before finally correctly being diagnosed with an autoimmune disease. She joins host Krys Boyd to unpack the long history of how medicine has failed women. Her book is “Unwell Women: Misdiagnosis and Myth in a Man-Made World.”
Kendrick Lamar is the first rapper in history to win the Pulitzer Prize, which speaks to the way his lyrics cut to the heart of social issues. Music journalist Marcus J. Moore joins host Krys Boyd to talk about this one-of-a-kind artist, who manages to push musical boundaries while remaining a top-selling pop culture icon. Moore’s book is “The Butterfly Effect: How Kendrick Lamar Ignited the Soul of Black America.”
We talk to our plants hoping our words will help them grow. So are they actually listening? Beronda L. Montgomery is MSU Foundation Professor of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology and Microbiology and Molecular Genetics at Michigan State University and a fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science and the American Academy of Microbiology. She joins host Krys Boyd to discuss what plants “know,” how they overcome obstacles, and what we humans can learn from them. Her book is called “Lessons From Plants.”
Dolly Parton’s image is glittery and bubbly, blonde wigs and rhinestone dresses – which belies the powerful brand of feminism that attracts her to adoring fans. Sarah Smarsh joins host Krys Boyd to explore the creative genius of the iconic singer and actress — a prolific songwriter of more than 3,000 songs — and a pioneer for exploring class and gender issues in America. Smarsh’s book is called “She Come By It Natural: Dolly Parton and the Women Who Lived Her Songs.”
As an asteroid approached Earth a few years ago, scientists suddenly grappled with an age-old question: could this be a sign of alien life? Matthew Bothwell is an astronomer at the Institute of Astronomy at the University of Cambridge, and he joins host Krys Boyd to talk about the rock – named “Oumuamua,” the theories that sprung up around it, and what happens when scarce data leads to wild speculation. His article in Aeon is called “Contact.”
Urban planners look to present day metropolises to guide the future; what if, instead, they looked to cities of the ancient past? Annalee Newitz, contributing opinion writer for The New York Times, joins host Krys Boyd to talk about cities that lasted millennia and then disappeared, and the answers they can provide for how we live together today. Her book is “Four Lost Cities: A Secret History of the Urban Age.”
Language helps us to connect with one another – and, yet, so often it seems our words fail us. This hour we’ll talk with linguist John McWhorter about how we use profanity – and which words some of us should never use. We’ll talk with Anna Sale of the “Death, Sex and Money” podcast about strategies for having difficult conversations. And psychologist Katherine Kinzler explains how the actual sound of our voices affects how people hear what we’ve got to say.
The question of where we go when we die is one that stretches across time and all religions. Catherine Wolff joins host Krys Boyd to discuss the concept of heaven, how it’s been framed in art, literature and religion through the ages, and how that has changed with modern beliefs. Her book is “Beyond: How Humankind Thinks About Heaven.”
Society puts certain expectations on how a woman should look and move through the world. Host Krys Boyd talks with three women who are pushing back against those expectations: a female bodybuilder up against the standards of men, a woman with a disability who challenges traditional beauty standards, and a professional dancer who struggled to achieve the ideal ballerina’s body.
Millions of Asians have immigrated to the U.S. since a restrictive 1965 law was lifted. Jay Caspian Kang, writer-at-large for The New York Times Magazine, joins host Krys Boyd to talk about the evolution of what it means to be Asian-American – and about his own family’s story as they moved across the country to find their footings. His book is called “The Loneliest Americans.”
The mind is capable of wonderful and amazing feats to help us through both the mundane and challenging aspects of life. This hour, we’ll talk with a sleep expert about how the mind uses dreaming to process day-to-day events and prepare us for the future; we’ll learn how seeing “ghosts” might actually be a by-product of processing grief, and we’ll explore ways to cultivate the mind in order to achieve peak performance.
Jonah Lehrer joined us in August to discuss the psychology, neuroscience, and anthropology of why we love solving puzzles, finding patterns and discovering the unknown. He’s the author of “Mystery: A Seduction, A Strategy, A Solution.”
The foods we eat greatly affect how we think and feel. This hour, we’ll hear how the foods we consume connect to our identities. We’ll talk about the ways food companies subconsciously influence us every time we go grocery shopping. And we’ll hear about the relationship between our brains and our guts.
On this week's episode: how one seemingly harmless pop culture trope might be distorting our views of gender equality and the long history of misunderstanding women’s bodies.
Even without MRI evidence, psychosomatic syndromes are very real and can be devastating. Neurologist Suzanne O’Sullivan joins host Krys Boyd to discuss her travels around the world trying to understand seemingly odd or fantastical illnesses that spread in communities, and the very real humans who suffer from them. Her book is called “The Sleeping Beauties: And Other Stories of Mystery Illness.”
Our DNA has the building blocks to our genes and, quite possibly, our place in society. Kathryn Paige Harden is professor of clinical psychology at the University of Texas at Austin, where she is director of the Developmental Behavior Genetics Lab and codirector of the Texas Twin Project. She joins host Krys Boyd to discuss why our genes can foster inequality and suggests interventions we can use to mitigate it. Her book is called “The Genetic Lottery: Why DNA Matters for Social Equality.”
We’re currently experiencing the Great Resignation, and surely some of those workers abandoned their jobs due to perceived career stagnation. Dorie Clark teaches executive education at Duke University’s Fuqua School of Business and Columbia Business School, and she joins host Krys Boyd to discuss why we should pay attention to the small wins at work, pull back to see a bigger picture of success, and offer ways to reignite joy in our careers. Her article in Harvard Business Review is headlined “Feeling Stuck or Stymied?”
There is documented science supporting the benefits of searching for higher purpose. Lisa Miller is a professor in the clinical psychology program at Teachers College, Columbia University, and founder and director of the Spirituality Mind Body Institute. She joins host Krys Boyd to discuss why prayer, mindfulness, even nature walks, open us up to improved brain function, resilience and, ultimately, better health. Her book is called “The Awakened Brain: The New Science of Spirituality and Our Quest for an Inspired Life.”
QAnon-style conspiracy theories have created an inflated sense of panic around child sexual abuse. Kaitlyn Tiffany, staff writer for The Atlantic, joins host Krys Boyd to discuss the well-meaning people who get caught up trying to prevent child-sex trafficking but instead get sucked into wild stories perpetuated by social media. Her recent article is headlined “The Children Are In Danger.”
The most influential person in the room might be you – if you know how to use that influence. Vanessa Bohns is a social psychologist and professor of organizational behavior at Cornell University, and she joins host Krys Boyd to discuss effective ways to affect other people, learning to speak up and how to rid ourselves of the fear of rejection. Her book is called “You Have More Influence Than You Think: How We Underestimate Our Power of Persuasion, and Why It Matters.”
After an unexpected death, a scientist found comfort searching for life among the stars. Sara Seager is an astrophysicist and a professor of physics and planetary science at MIT. She joins host Krys Boyd to discuss becoming a widow and feeling immense grief while searching for exoplanets that might sustain life light years away. Her book “The Smallest Lights in the Universe: A Memoir” newly out in paperback.
After growing up amid violence and poverty, how easy is it to teach children about security and plenty? Rev. Esau McCaulley is contributing opinion writer for The New York Times and assistant professor of New Testament at Wheaton College. He joins host Krys Boyd to discuss his childhood in a low-income neighborhood and how that’s sometimes created a disconnect between him and his more well-off kids. His recent article is headlined “I Grew Up Poor. How Am I Supposed to Raise My Middle-Class Kids?”
It’s clear people want to live near good jobs with affordable homes, low crime, and far from the devastation of climate change. Farhad Manjoo is an opinion columnist for The New York Times, and he joins host Krys Boyd to discuss why, after filtering tens of thousands of towns with populations over a thousand, he arrived at the conclusion that cities in North Texas are among the most desirable in the country. His recent article is headlined “Everyone’s Moving to Texas. Here’s Why.”
On this week's show: how the workplaces of the past shaped the offices we lost to the pandemic -- and what it means for the future of work.
This week’s conversation with Charlie Warzel: https://think.kera.org/2021/12/10/making-work-from-home-work-forever/
Krys’ 2014 conversation with Nikil Saval: https://think.kera.org/2014/05/20/the-way-we-work/
Work from home was a necessity during the pandemic – but was burnout an inevitable side effect or all together avoidable? Charlie Warzel, contributing writer for The Atlantic, joins host Krys Boyd to discuss the takeaways from work-life balance that have come out of Covid working arrangements, and what the future of corporate HQ might look like. The book, co-authored with Anne Helen Petersen, is called “Out of Office: The Big Problem and Bigger Promise of Working from Home.”
Is it possible charities could provide happiness by changing their overall missions? Vox reporter Dylan Matthews joins host Krys Boyd to discuss the work of the Happier Life Institute, which found that access to psychotherapy should be central to foreign aid and charity work abroad in order to increase well-being. His recent article is headlined “Is therapy the best way to make the world happier?”
When it comes to disability, accessibility isn’t the same as equality? University of Oslo professor Jan Grue joins host Krys Boyd to discuss his ideas about justice for people with disabilities and why he believes, even with gains in disability rights, the world would still like to keep the differently-abled in the shadows. His article “The high cost of living in a disabling world” was published in The Guardian.
In the U.S., childcare is run mostly by private businesses that pay workers barely a living wage. Bloomberg Businessweek columnist Claire Suddath joins host Krys Boyd to discuss why daycare centers struggle with staffing and profit margins, and why, despite the demand, the industry is struggling to survive. Her recent article is headlined “How child care became the most broken business in America.”
As our attention spans continue to shrink, can complex works of art possibly still grab hold of us? Kyle Chayka is a contributing writer at The New Yorker, and he joins host Krys Boyd to talk about nine works of art that challenge, cajole and actually still manage to hold our attention. His article “Time Well Spent” was published in Believer Magazine.
Why is it that beer is considered a man’s drink when a glass of wine or a cosmopolitan is more appropriate for a woman? Mallory O’Meara joins host Krys Boyd to talk about the history of women and alcohol, from a Sumerian beer goddess to today’s lighter fare and asks: when did drinking become so gendered? Her book is called “Girly Drinks: A World History of Women and Alcohol.”
Coffee is a $100 billion dollar industry — and it’s in danger of extinction. Sarah Sax, climate justice reporting fellow for High Country News, joins host Krys Boyd to discuss how climate change and questionable farming practices are harming crops, and ways researchers are trying to breed more sustainable beans. Her article “Coffee as we know it is in danger. Can we breed a better cup?” was published by Vox.
In the race to develop life-saving drugs, plants might have the answers. Dr. Cassandra Quave is a medical ethnobotanist and an associate professor of dermatology and human health at Emory University. She joins host Krys Boyd to discuss her work searching the globe for plant medicines that will fight superbugs and even the common headache. Her book is called “The Plant Hunter: A Scientist’s Quest for Nature’s Next Medicines.”
Sexual misconduct claims often come down to a case of he said, she said. Deborah Tuerkheimer is a professor at the Northwestern Pritzker School of Law, and she joins host Krys Boyd to discuss who is deemed a credible source, why women aren’t listened to, and who retains power in the legal system. Her book is called “Credible: Why We Doubt Accusers and Protect Abusers.”
John McWhorter is a linguist who spends his time thinking about words, what they mean, why we use them and how they’ve evolved — and that includes profanity. He joins Think to talk about his most recent book, “Nine Nasty Words: English in the Gutter: Then, Now, and Forever.” Just a warning: there’s uncensored profanity in this language, so it might not be appropriate for younger listeners.
Being an undocumented immigrant often means living in the shadows, hidden to the rest of the world. Author Qian Julie Wang joins host Krys Boyd to tell the story of her childhood in an undocumented family, how the experience shaped her life, and how she now views the American Dream. Her book is called “Beautiful Country: A Memoir.”
This show originally aired September 8, 2021.
When her father, President Ronald Reagan, announced he had Alzheimer’s, Patti Davis and her family began a very public journey to cope with the disease. Davis joins host Krys Boyd to discuss the support group she founded and the struggle with prolonged grief that comes with the illness. Her book is “Floating in the Deep End: How Caregivers can See Beyond Alzheimer’s.”
Some of us look for a movie to give us a good cry — is that actually a sign of strength? Paul Bloom is professor of psychology at University of Toronto and the Brooks and Suzanne Ragen Professor Emeritus of Psychology at Yale University. He joins host Krys Boyd to discuss why we sometimes seek out pain, the search for moral satisfaction and how sometimes this pursuit can go awry. His book is called “The Sweet Spot: The Pleasures of Suffering and the Search for Meaning.”
Sometimes being alone with your thoughts leads to obsessive overthinking. Nancy Colier is a psychotherapist and regular contributor to Psychology Today, and she joins host Krys Boyd to explain how excessive thinking to the point of stress is an addiction and offer tips on how practices like mindfulness can calm an overactive mind. Her book is called “Can’t Stop Thinking: How to Let Go of Anxiety and Free Yourself from Obsessive Rumination.”
Right now, our bodies might be trying to tell us about our future health. Daniel M. Davis is professor of immunology at the University of Manchester, and he joins host Krys Boyd to discuss the newest science that is striving to understand the ways our bodies talk to us, revealing secrets of disease and how we might protect ourselves from illness far into the future. His book is “The Secret Body: How the New Science of the Human Body Is Changing the Way We Live.”
When the mind breaks down, plans for the future are thrown into chaos. Naomi Jackson is an assistant professor of English at Rutgers University–Newark, and she joins host Krys Boyd to talk about the series of events that led to her diagnosis of bipolar disorder and the things she almost lost as she battled her way back to health. Her essay “Her Kind” was published in Harper’s Magazine.
It’s Cyber Monday, so that means a spending spree for holiday gifts — which might be fun for you but is rough on the planet. Journalist J. B. MacKinnon joins host Krys Boyd to talk about the push-pull between the supposed economic harm of less shopping with the environmental impacts of buying too much. His book is called “The Day the World Stops Shopping: How Ending Consumerism Saves the Environment and Ourselves.”
One of the things that separates us from our animal brethren is that we can imagine wild ideas while their minds are confined to reality. Science writer Philip Ball joins host Krys Boyd to discuss new research about imagination, often overlooked in science, and why the ability to understand the world in multi-dimensional ways is more surprising than even our ability to dream. His article “Homo imaginatus” was published by Aeon.
As families gather this holiday season – many for the first time in nearly two years – we may learn that some of our loved ones have developed a few ideas they didn’t have the last time we saw them. Today, host Krys Boyd looks at how disinformation spreads so easily. We’ll be joined by a journalist who writes about the changing media landscape, a linguist who explains how cults use very specific language to recruit new members, and a researcher who says bad ideas are parasites that infect our brains.
Pakistani mangoes are prized for their taste and texture, but you have to be very internet savvy to find one. Food writer Ahmed Ali Akbar joins host Krys Boyd to discuss the backchannels of importing fruit, the lengths people will go to, and the customs bureaucracy that keeps foods from reaching American shores. His article “Inside the Secretive, Semi-Illicit, High Stakes World of WhatsApp Mango Importing” was published by Eater.
This show originally aired on Sept. 16, 2021.
A man, a woman, and their 2.5 kids were considered the foundation of a solid family, but new research says diversity in parenting is actually good for the goose and the gander. Susan Golombok, director of the Centre for Family Research at the University of Cambridge and a professional fellow at Newnham College, Cambridge, joins host Krys Boyd to talk about the outdated ideas we have about creating a happy home and the variety of parents out there who are thriving. Her new book is “We Are Family: The Modern Transformation of Parents and Children.”
This show originally aired on Jan. 4 2021.
“The Talented Mr. Ripley” and “Strangers on a Train” are just two of the classic works of fiction by Fort Worth-born author Patricia Highsmith – a writer of mysteries who was a mystery herself. Anna von Planta was Highsmith’s primary editor for the later part of her life, and she joins guest host John McCaa to discuss Highsmith’s literary legacy, as well as her private life, which was often marked by controversy. Von Planta is the author of “Patricia Highsmith: Her Diaries and Notebooks: 1941-1995.”
What if managing our diet is less about fads and more about just enjoying real foods? Mark Schatzker of the Canadian Broadcast Corporation joins host Krys Boyd to discuss his journey into food production and eating habits around the world to discover secrets of health and happiness. His book is called “The End of Craving: Recovering the Lost Wisdom of Eating Well.”
By offering more and better-delivered services, tech companies are often much more efficient than government. Ian Bremmer is a political scientist and president of Eurasia Group, and he joins host Krys Boyd to talk about how the well-oiled machines of big technology – with their influence and reach into every part of daily life – are challenging national governments in shaping society. His article “The Technopolar Moment” was published in Foreign Affairs.
When disasters strike, local officials rely on the expertise of those who unfortunately have seen it all. Robert A. Jensen is chairman of Kenyon International Emergency Services, a disaster management company, and he joins host Krys Boyd to discuss the delicate art of balancing practical management of large-scale disasters while honoring the humanity of families affected and the lives lost. His new book is “Personal Effects: What Recovering the Dead Teaches Me About Caring for the Living.”
