NADIA BOLZ-WEBER (http://www.nadiabolzweber.com/) first hit the New York Times list with her 2013 memoir—the bitingly honest and inspiring Pastrix: The Cranky, Beautiful Faith of a Sinner & Saint followed by the critically acclaimed New York Times bestseller Accidental Saints in 2015. A former stand-up comic and a recovering alcoholic, Bolz-Weber is the founder and former pastor of a Lutheran congregation in Denver, House for All Sinners and Saints. She speaks at colleges and conferences aro...
Jun 27, 2019•1 hr 7 min
Austin Kleon (https://austinkleon.com/) is the New York Times bestselling author of Steal Like an Artist, Show Your Work!, and his newest book, Keep Going ( https://amzn.to/2MxSePD). His work has been translated into over 20 languages and featured on NPR’s Morning Edition, PBS NewsHour, and in the New York Times and the Wall Street Journal. He speaks about creativity in the digital age for organizations such as Pixar, Google, SXSW, TEDx, and the Economist. In previous lives, he worked as a libra...
Jun 25, 2019•1 hr 4 min
Ashley C. Ford (http://www.ashleycford.net/) is a writer, media producer and host, living in Brooklyn by way of Indiana. She currently hosts PROFILE by BuzzFeed News, and is the former host of Brooklyn-based news & culture TV show, 112BK. Ford has written for The Guardian, ELLE, BuzzFeed, OUT Magazine, Slate, Teen Vogue, New York Magazine, Lenny Letter, INTO and she's working on her memoir, along with a collection of interviews (B-Side Chats) with her husband, Kelly Stacy. She has been named...
Jun 20, 2019•1 hr 15 min
John Chester has been a filmmaker and director for the last 25 years, telling stories that re-connect us with our humanity and help us see the same in others. During that same time, his wife Molly, was busy changing lives as a private chef and teacher in LA, with a focus on natural foods, biodiversity and sustainability. Years into their careers, they took a radical left turn, moving out of the city, buying a piece of land that’d been deemed largely unfarmable and transforming it, over a period ...
Jun 18, 2019•1 hr 4 min
Robin Arzón (https://www.robinarzon.com/) knew she wanted to be a lawyer since she was 10 years old, went to NYU, the Villanova Law and landed a job at a top firm in New York where she practiced for 7 years. But, along the way, a series of events would profound change her path. While still an undergrad she found herself being held at gunpoint in the middle of a standoff with police. That moment shook her and she found herself, much to her surprise turning to running as a way to both process the ...
Jun 13, 2019•1 hr 6 min
In 1999, Marcus Buckingham burst onto the scene talking about these things called strengths and how to harness them in his mega-bestseller, First, Break All the Rules , followed in 2001 by Now, Discover Your Strengths. Helping people flourish in work and life became a lifelong obsession, leading to an acclaimed and deeply-rewarding career researching and developing strengths-based tools and insights, first at Gallup, and then launching his own consulting firm, The Marcus Buckingham Company (http...
Jun 11, 2019•1 hr 16 min
Elizabeth Gilbert ( https://www.elizabethgilbert.com/ ) is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of Big Magic and Eat, Pray, Love , as well as several other internationally bestselling books. Her new novel City of Girls (https://amzn.to/2QgYIAC) is a fast-paced, pleasure-drenched tale of the New York City theater world during the 1940s. Since her last appearance on the podcast some four years ago, Gilbert's life has been turned upside-down and back again. She has navigated profound awakening,...
Jun 06, 2019•1 hr 12 min
Mark Manson (https://markmanson.net/) is the #1 New York Times Bestselling author of The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck, which has reached #1 in thirteen countries, sold millions of copies. His new book, Everything is F*cked: A Book About Hope ( https://amzn.to/2JW2MFM) , has also become an instant #1 bestseller. In it, he expands his irreverent, yet compelling and deeply-thoughtful exploration to the state of society, the sometimes disastrous quirks of the human psyche, and the role of hope in...
Jun 04, 2019•52 min
Amanda Palmer (http://amandapalmer.net/) is a singer, songwriter, playwright, pianist, author, director, blogger and ukulele enthusiast who simultaneously embraces and explodes traditional frameworks of music, theatre, and art. Starting in music as one half of the Boston punk cabaret duo The Dresden Dolls, Palmer's solo album Theatre Is Evil became the top-funded music project on Kickstarter, her 2013 TED talk grew into a New York Times best-selling memoir called The Art of Asking ( https://amzn...
May 30, 2019•1 hr 21 min
Love. What makes it work? And, keep working for life? That's where we're headed in today's conversation with legendary co-founders of the Gottman Institute a/k/a the "Love Lab," Julie and John Gottman. Drawing upon Julie's decades of clinical observations and John's 40 years of breakthrough research with thousands of couples, they've developed stunning insights into what makes relationships work and last. Julie and John lead The Art and Science of Love and many other workshops in Seattle and Jul...
May 28, 2019•1 hr 18 min
Hailed by Rolling Stone as “a genre unto herself,” Brooklyn-based composer and guitar phenom (http://www.kakiking.com/), Kaki King, has released 9 albums, performed on every continent, presented at the Kennedy Center, MoMA, LACMA and The Met and created music for film and TV. In 2015 Kaki launched "The Neck is a Bridge to the Body," a groundbreaking multi-media performance integrating guitar and projected imagery synced to the music. What's even more incredible, Kaki King never intended for musi...
May 23, 2019•1 hr 3 min
Alexia Vernon (https://alexiavernon.com/) is a transformational speaking and women’s leadership expert, coach and author who shows entrepreneurs, business leaders and change-makers how to develop the mindset and behaviors needed to walk into any room, or onto any stage, and speak with "moxie" - so they can radically (and positively) impact their audiences, businesses and communities. Now, branded a “Moxie Maven” by President Obama’s White House Office of Public Engagement, Vernon is the founder ...
May 21, 2019•1 hr
Continuing with our special Music in May Thursday episodes, my guest today is Toronto-raised former elementary-school teacher turned MC, spoken-word artist, poet, and international bestselling author , Humble the Poet (http://humblethepoet.com/). In today's conversation, we explore not only Humble the Poet's journey from teaching to music, rap, video and spoken word, but also how his experience as the child of immigrants, being raised in the Sikh tradition and, in his words, not seeing anyone el...
May 16, 2019•1 hr 26 min
If you’ve heard the name of my guest today, Stedman Graham, there’s a good chance it’s been offered in the same sentence with his long-time partner in life, Oprah Winfrey. What’s not as often told is Stedman’s own, deeply-compelling personal journey. His path from small-town kid to pursuing a degree in education while simultaneously serving in the Army, playing basketball in the European leagues, then returning home to enter the world of business and giving back along the way. Stedman eventually...
May 14, 2019•59 min
Born in Memphis, spending summer months with his great aunt and uncle in a small west Texas town, while being raised in Washington, DC, Clarence Greenwood aka Citizen Cope (https://citizencope.com/welcome) grew up influenced by the production techniques of George Martin, Dr. Dre and Willie Mitchell while listening to everything from Willie Nelson, to John Lennon, Bob Marley, Outkast and A TribeCalled Quest. Cope has since built a decades-long career in the music industry on trusting his gut and ...
May 09, 2019•1 hr 9 min
Moving from New York to Los Angeles, LaRayia Gaston (https://www.linkedin.com/in/larayia/) was struck by the extreme poverty she saw in a part of the city known as skid row, and how close it was to extreme wealth. Raised to always lead with love and be of service, she could not turn away. While simultaneously launching and building her own design and branding agency, she founded Lunch On Me (LOM) (https://www.lunchonme.org/). The organization now redistributes organic food that would otherwise b...
May 07, 2019•1 hr 11 min
Jimmie Vaughan started playing blues guitar when he was a kid and now, more than 5 decades later, he just never stopped. Growing up in Dallas in the 50 and 60s, Jimmie and his little brother, Stevie Ray used to spend their time listening to music and figuring out how to play it on guitar. By the time Jimmie was about 15, he’d already been getting paid to play in a band 6 nights a week and decided to strike out on his own, eventually landing in Austin, where he’d end up playing with legends like ...
May 02, 2019•1 hr 1 min
Jim Kwik (http://kwikbrain.com/) is the founder of Kwik Learning, host of the top-ranked Kwik Brain podcast (https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/kwik-brain-with-jim-kwik/id1208024744), and a globally-acclaimed expert in speed-reading, memory improvement, brain performance, and accelerated learning. This is pretty surprising, given that a brain injury left him learning-challenged and labeled the 'boy with the broken brain' as a child. He has since dedicated his life to helping others learn and ...
Apr 30, 2019•1 hr 26 min
Thrust into the world of presidential politics in her twenties, Laura Gassner Otting (https://lauragassnerotting.com/) found herself working in the White House, before a series of events led her to launch her own firm, and grew it into a powerhouse in the non-profit search world, then eventually sell the company to focus on her next act. Having worked at the highest levels of power and potential, she learned a ton about what truly makes people feel what she calls “limitless.” Her awakenings are ...
Apr 25, 2019•1 hr 17 min
Growing up between New York City’s South Bronx and Queens in the 1970s, Rosanna Durruthy's ( https://www.linkedin.com/in/rmdurruthy/ ) family and home were often the place where everyone gathered, people from all walks of life had a place at the table. Now, the Head of Global Diversity, Inclusion and Belonging at LinkedIn, Durruthy works to bring all voices to the table and empower people with a sense of value, inclusion, equality and belonging. This conversation isn't just about work, though, i...
Apr 23, 2019•58 min
Lori Gottlieb is a psychotherapist (http://www.lorigottlieb.com/) and New York Times bestselling author who writes the weekly “Dear Therapist” advice column for The Atlantic. She has written hundreds of articles related to psychology and culture, many of which have become viral sensations all over the world. A contributing editor for the Atlantic, she also writes for The New York Times Magazine, and appears as a frequent expert on relationships, parenting, and hot-button mental health topics in ...
Apr 16, 2019•57 min
From the outside looking in, Leon Logothetis (https://leonlogothetis.com/about/) had everything. But, from the inside looking out, he was dying a little bit more every day, fiercely lonely and falling apart. So, he made a radical decision that led to several trips traveling across America without cash, sustaining himself only on the kindness of others and giving back along the way. This journey into the heart of kindness became a film and the basis of a book and then The Kindness Diaries (https:...
Apr 09, 2019•56 min
Abby Wambach’s (http://abbywambach.com/) name is synonymous with soccer. A two-time Olympic gold medalist, FIFA World Cup Champion, and the highest all-time goal scorer ever, she is an icon. But, that's not the whole story. Not by a long shot. Her new book, Wolfpack , (https://amzn.to/2F6gxNx) and the movement and company she’s launched along with it, is a reclamation. It's a call to agency and community. We explore this powerful journey, along with many of the deeper motivations, struggles, mom...
Apr 02, 2019•1 hr 17 min
At the age of seven, Shobha Rao (https://shobharaowrites.com/about/) moved from India to the United States and found herself in a world of wonder and discovery that's never left her. In fact, as we'd discover in today's conversation, she is so committed to presence and wonder, her cellphone has no internet, nor does she ever use her camera. And, when she teaches students, she invites them to have their heart's broken by leaving their phones at the door. Obsessed with books, Rao eventually became...
Mar 26, 2019•1 hr
Seane Corn (http://www.seanecorn.com/) is an internationally celebrated yoga teacher known for her impassioned activism, unique self-expression, and inspirational style of teaching. Featured in magazines, TV, radio, and Oprah.com, Seane now utilizes her fierce commitment to action and her massive platform to bring awareness to global humanitarian issues. Since 2007, she has been training leaders of activism through her co-founded organization Off the Mat, Into the World®. Seane has spent time in...
Mar 19, 2019•1 hr 5 min
Growing up in the Dominican Republic, Laura Peña (http://www.laurapena.com/about) discovered a love of design, animation, filmmaking, storytelling and technology that led her to New York City to study. Her fierce commitment to her craft created a fast name in the space, led her work with many of the top brands in the world, and eventually found her own creative design lab, JelloMonsters. But, an experience back in the Dominican Republic set in motion a different quest that would lead her to put ...
Mar 12, 2019•1 hr 1 min
My guest today, James Victore, has been described as part Darth Vader, part Yoda, prolific storyteller, designer, provocateur, artist, activist and teacher. James Victore is the designer and creative thought leader whom people look to find clarity and purpose in their life and work. James is widely known for his timely wisdom and impassioned views about design and its place in the world. At the helm of his independently run design studio, James is always working to make work that is sexy, strong...
Mar 05, 2019•1 hr
Growing up outside Newark, NJ, the daughter of a first-generation mom from the Dominican Republic and a dad who grew up going back and forth between Harlem and the Deep South, Judge Victoria Pratt (https://judgevictoriapratt.com/) found herself in the role of translator, advocate and champion at a very young age. That deep desire to serve at the sweet-spot between justice and humanity never left her. Rising up through government and educational institutions, she eventually became a judge, but no...
Feb 26, 2019•1 hr 8 min
Scott Barry Kaufman (http://scottbarrykaufman.com/) has a Ph.D. from Yale, and an M. Phil from Cambridge and now teaches at Barnard. Not bad for a kid who was labeled as lesser-than, put into special-education and told he didn't have the intelligence to achieve anything significant. It took a single moment in 9th-grade, where a teacher took note of his innate curiosity and abilities and prompted him to reclaim control over his education and life, for everything to change. Now an acclaimed psycho...
Feb 19, 2019•1 hr 4 min
Aleksandra Scepanovic was born into a nation soon to be at war. Growing up in then Yugoslavia, she found herself entering adulthood in the middle of the Bosnian war. While she lived in the relative safety of Belgrade (at least in the early part of the war), she left to head into the heat of the war zone, on a quest to discover not just the highly-filtered stories being reported by a state-controlled media, but the truth on-the-ground. Scepanovic joined local media efforts, became a reporter, the...
Feb 12, 2019•1 hr 3 min
