All The Wiser - podcast cover

All The Wiser

Kimi Culpredcircle.com

There is hope and possibility on the other side of pain. From dramatic stories of survival, the realities of life when facing death and unforgettable lessons on love and loss, we tell the most jaw-dropping and inspiring stories you've ever heard – while also donating $2000 every episode to a nonprofit making a difference in the world.

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Episodes

21. Mardy Fish....the tennis player who vanished

If you follow the sport of tennis at all, you know the name Mardy Fish. He rose to prominence in the early 2000's and became the #1 American tennis player in the ATP rankings and #7 in the world. What you may not know about Mardy Fish is that during a career defining match at the US Open against Roger Federer, in front of 25,000 people and with millions watching on TV, he walked off the court, withdrew from the match and simply vanished. It wasn't until many months later than Marty courageously ...

Jan 22, 202047 minSeason 1Ep. 21

20. Transgender Pastor Paula Williams and her son, Jonathan, on a father's transition and a son's redemption

Paula Stone Williams knew from a young age that she was transgender, but as a leader in a conservative evangelical religious community, then Paul, avoided transitioning at all costs. Paul's son, Jonathan, followed in his father's footsteps and began a career in ministry, creating a new church under the same organization. Three months into his new job, Paul sat Jonathan down and told him that he was transitioning to a woman. The community backlash was instant, members exited in mass and funding d...

Jan 08, 20201 hr 4 minSeason 1Ep. 20

Looking back...our gratitude episode. Happy holidays!

Kimi shares some of the most memorable moments from our guests this year, why we decided to take a short break for the month of December and our intentions for the 2019 holiday season. Thank you, dear listeners, for all the incredible feedback you've given us about the show since we launched in April. We wouldn't be here without you and we are grateful for every moment of it! Happy Holidays to you and yours. See you in the new year! Are you following us yet on social? Find us on Instagram and Fa...

Nov 27, 201924 min

19. Tracy Walder is a sorority girl turned CIA counter-terrorism spy

Tracy Walder left behind a childhood of bullying and headed to USC where she studied history and held leadership positions in her sorority. When a recruiter from the CIA invited her for an interview her junior year, the "up-for-anything" bubbly blond jumped at the opportunity. Little did she know a year later, she would be placed in the counter-terrorism center in the weapons of mass destruction unit and regularly attending meetings with President Bush and the head of the CIA George Tenet. She d...

Nov 13, 201949 minSeason 1Ep. 19

18. Ed Gavagan was stabbed six times and forgave his attackers

Ed Gavigan was walking home one night from the bar where he worked in Manhattan when he was jumped by three kids and stabbed six times in the back, side and neck. Doctors gave him a 2% chance to live. In the hospital he learned that the three kids were gang members looking for someone to kill as part of an initiation for moving up in the gang, and Ed was just in the wrong place at the wrong time. But what’s even more remarkable than Ed surviving such a brutal attack is that he forgave his attack...

Oct 30, 201951 minSeason 1Ep. 18

17. Khalil Rafati went from homeless drug addict to millionaire health and wellness entrepreneur

In his 20’s Khalil Rafati left his small town with a dream of moving to Los Angeles and becoming famous. But by the time he was 33 he found himself living on LA’s notorious skid row, 109 lbs., homeless, and fueling a daily heroin and cocaine addiction. Today, at 49, Khalil is now a wildly successful entrepreneur and the face of his wellness brand, Sunlife Organics. What is it like to beg for money? Why did he finally get sober after 9 overdoses? The Khalil you will meet today has incredible wisd...

Oct 16, 201945 minSeason 1Ep. 17

16. Cassie McKee is a little person and she's happy to answer your questions

Cassie McKee is Kimi's cousin and one of the people Kimi looks up to most in her life (and not just because Cassie is a world class bedazzler). Cassie has a form of dwarfism called Achondroplasia, which her husband and kids have as well. In this episode, she opens up to Kimi about what it's like living as a family of little people in an average sized world, genetics, parenting, and why she has made it her mission to meet strangers' curiosity about her and her family with open, honest dialogue an...

Oct 02, 201950 minSeason 1Ep. 16

15. Jake Olson became the first completely blind Division 1 football player for the USC Trojans

Jake Olson was born with cancer in his left eye and by the age of twelve he was told that his right eye would also need to be removed leaving him completely blind. His last wish of sight was to watch his beloved USC Trojans play football one last time. Few would imagine that years later Jake would become a Division 1 football player himself after being asked to join the Trojans team as a long snapper. Today, he talks about coming of age as a blind boy, how life isn’t fair, that there is always s...

Sep 18, 201957 minSeason 1Ep. 15

14. Aaron Stark was almost a school shooter

Aaron Stark grew up in a violently abusive and drug fueled home. By the age of 16 he was overweight, depressed, suicidal, and the victim of endless bullying. His plan was to unleash his pain by becoming a mass shooter, killing dozens and then himself. Now a 40-year-old father and husband, he shares the act that saved his life and countless others that day, and why we have to give love to the people we think deserve it the least because they need it the most. Benefiting Samaritan House Denver htt...

Sep 04, 201949 minSeason 1Ep. 14

13. David Byrd was brutally attacked by a 12-foot shark and considers himself lucky

25-year-old David Byrd was stand-up paddle boarding with his dad on a family vacation in Hawaii when he was brutally attacked by a 12-foot shark and left an amputee. He spent months undergoing countless reconstructive surgeries. It's been over a year since the accident and for the first time David is speaking publicly about his memories of the attack, the conversation he had with his dad in the water that day, why he wasn't afraid of dying, and how he considers himself to be incredibly lucky. Su...

Aug 21, 201942 minSeason 1Ep. 13

12. Within six weeks, Nora McInerny miscarried her baby, lost her father, and then her husband to cancer

At 31, Nora McInerny was happily married to a man named Aaron, with a toddler named Ralph and a career in advertising. But in 2014, over the span of 6 weeks, she miscarried her second child, lost her father to cancer and then her husband Aaron to a brain tumor. In this episode, Nora shares, with her trademark honesty and humor, how our Western culture has woefully unprepared us to talk about death, and what to do when someone you know is going through something really, really terrible. Support t...

Aug 07, 201943 minSeason 1Ep. 12

11. Kevin Briggs dissuaded more than 200 people from suicide

Sergeant Kevin Briggs is known by many as the “Guardian of the Golden Gate Bridge.” An army veteran with no formal suicide prevention training, Kevin Briggs dissuaded more than 200 people from jumping off the bridge over his 23 years with the California Highway Patrol. With a gentle voice and compassionate lens on the world, Kevin shares his experiences working with people who are in tremendous pain and how his innate ability of “listening to understand” has been his greatest tool in encouraging...

Jul 24, 201943 minSeason 1Ep. 11

10. All The Wiser host Kimi Culp kept bipolar disorder a secret for twenty years

Our very own host, Kimi Culp, is interviewed by her friend and former Good Morning America colleague, Holly Gordon about a secret Kimi has kept for over twenty years: her diagnosis of bipolar disorder. In this revealing and highly personal conversation, Kimi describes how she experiences the highs and lows of a manic episode (while balancing a demanding career in journalism!), and why she decided to finally share her secret on All The Wiser. Benefiting Crisis Text Line: https://www.crisistextlin...

Jul 10, 201959 minSeason 1Ep. 10

9. Gerardo Lopez was an MS-13 gang member

Gerardo Lopez grew up in gang territory in Los Angeles, CA. At 14, he joined MS-13 a notoriously dangerous international gang. It took 13 seconds for him to be jumped in, but another decade before street crime and juvenile detention centers would be a thing of his past. Today, Gerardo “Clever” Lopez is a gang interventionist and executive director of Homies Unidos, a non-profit that helps at-risk youth avoid making the same mistakes by promoting peace and prevention. In Today’s Episode: Growing ...

Jun 26, 201943 minSeason 1Ep. 9

8. Kristen Gray has a score to settle with Batten Disease

Kristen Gray left her job to be a stay at home mom with her two young girls. In 2015, Charlotte (4) and Gwenyth (2) were diagnosed with Batten disease: a fatal disorder that would leave them blind and unable to walk, play or speak. Kristen and her husband were unwilling to accept this fate. With a breathtaking swell of love and support, they raised millions of dollars to fund the first clinical trial and real hope for a cure. Her story is a testament to the power of love (and not taking no for a...

Jun 12, 201944 minSeason 1Ep. 8

7. Bob Woodruff got blown up in Iraq.

After decades of preparation, Bob Woodruff was offered his dream job: the anchor chair at ABC World News Tonight. But less than two months later he was hit by a bomb in Iraq, incurred massive head trauma, and spent 36 days in a coma fighting for his life. When he finally woke up, the famous journalist with a photographic memory could no longer remember the names of his four young children. While Bob eventually regained many of his physical and cognitive abilities, his life and career were foreve...

May 29, 201943 minSeason 1Ep. 7

6. Michel Varisco gets real about caretaking and ALS...(but please don't call her a saint)

Part 2 of 2. Mom, wife and artist Michel Varisco, walks us through the day of her husband Steve Gleason's terminal diagnosis, finding out she was pregnant a month later and what it was like to watch a documentary about her life in a packed theater at Sundance Film Festival. She opens up about the pressure of living up to false expectations, the realities of life as a full time caretaker, their decision to have a second child and how her darkest days inspired her work as an artist. Support the sh...

May 15, 201941 minSeason 1Ep. 6

5. NFL Football Player Steve Gleason lost the ability to walk and talk... and found his purpose

Former NFL football player Steve Gleason founded a charity, Team Gleason, helped create the largest ALS research project in history, has a congressional medal of honor, a law passed in his name and is the star of a Super Bowl commercial and film about his life. Most importantly, he is a proud father of two kids -- Rivers and Gray. Steve accomplished all of the above and more while unable to walk, talk, eat or breath on his own. Steve shared his story with ALL THE WISER while typing with his eyes...

May 01, 201937 minSeason 1Ep. 5

4. Monica Escobedo on loss, love, forgiveness and being the sister of a shooter

Beloved television producer, Monica Escobedo, survived the unthinkable. For the first time, she shares the details of the day she lost her brother, mother and father in a murder-suicide. Monica courageously shares her story of loss, love, intuition and why she chooses to honor her mentally ill brother in spite of his final act. Her strength, honesty and life perspective will leave you astounded and inspired. In Monica's honor, we are donating $2000 to Give An Hour. In Today’s Episode: Monica’s p...

Apr 17, 201942 minSeason 1Ep. 4

3. Matt Pohlson flat-lined and had a near death experience that forever changed him

Matt is the co-founder and CEO of Omaze. His company has raised over 130 million dollars for charities by auctioning off once in a lifetime experiences — think a walk-on role in Star Wars or being George Clooney’s date on the Red Carpet! He opens up about what changed everything for him: a near death experience that left him flatlining and in a coma. Matt shares how his mom saved his life, his experience on “the other side” and how he views his relationships and company in an entirely new light....

Apr 03, 201937 minSeason 1Ep. 3

2. Christopher Brune-Horan picked up a baby that had nowhere to go

Christopher Brune Horan shares his remarkable journey of fatherhood, the road he walked through fostering to adoption and into the heart-changing experience that is parenthood. Christopher and his husband, Jesse, decided to marry, start a family and adopt within months of falling in love. Their story starts with a phone call that a little boy has been born to a mother addicted to crystal meth and has nowhere to go. The years that follow are filled with loss and love and, as Christopher shares, a...

Apr 03, 201959 minSeason 1Ep. 2

1. Matt Long was hit by a 20-ton bus

Matt Long’s extraordinary life story is a lesson in the power of perseverance. The best selling author, motivational speaker and former New York City firefighter has been to the brink and back. TWICE! Matt survived 9/11 and eventually found himself depressed, overweight and turning to booze to heal his emotional wounds. He rebuilt his life and body when he decided to turn things around and become an elite athlete and Iron Man. Four years later, Matt was hit by a 40,000 Ib. bus on an early mornin...

Apr 03, 201952 minSeason 1Ep. 1

Welcome to All The Wiser

Join host Kimi Culp (Good Morning America, The Oprah Winfrey Show) on her mission to change the world, one jaw-dropping story at a time, by donating $2000 an episode to charity in this ground-breaking one-for-one podcast. Ready for a little hope and inspiration? Subscribe now and don't miss an episode! See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy...

Mar 19, 20193 min
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