Kelly Corrigan Wonders

In our final episode of the Shook By A Book series, Kelly talks with actor, writer and celebrated creative mind, Anna Deavere Smith about two books that have stayed with her over the years: Letter From A Birmingham Jail by Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and Dibs in Search of Self: The Renowned, Deeply Moving Story of an Emotionally Lost Child Who Found His Way Back by Virginia M. Axline. …. Anna breaks down why these two very different books have been so affecting for her and how they inform her work. Special thanks to The Teagle Foundation for their generous support of this series. Check out Anna performing Letter From a Birmingham Jail at the historic Stanford Memorial Church in 2015. You can also watch Kelly's Tell Me More interview with Anna at pbs.org/kelly. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

A short but powerful story by Susie DeCarlo about her mother but also about herself. Often, the way our parents see us is the way we come to see ourselves and Susie’s mom saw her in the very best way: strong, unbreakable, thriving. (Previously aired) To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In honor of Breast Cancer Awareness Month, Kelly shares her reaction to the pink ribbon while she was in chemo and how it changed the following year. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

What book shook you to your core? That’s the question we’re asking some of our favorite American thinkers. This week we’re talking to Dr. Eddie Glaude, Jr., a Princeton professor, columnist for TIME and frequent TV commentator. Eddie was transformed by WEB Du Bois’ The Souls of Black Folk and its core ideas of Noble Consciousness and The Veil. He details how the book impacted him at various stages of his life in this surprisingly personal and moving interview. Special thanks to The Teagle Foundation for their generous support of this series. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Lily Janas, now a student at Bowdoin College, wrote this stirring college admissions essay called “We Rise”. She sets the scene at 2am and goes on to describe one of the most impactful experiences of her young life. The story unfolds slowly, and Lily gives clues along the way but never fully reveals what she’s a part of - until the very end. (Previously aired) To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In honor of the late Dr. Ruth Westheimer, Kelly shares some borrowed wisdom from her final book: The Joy of Connections: 100 Ways to Beat Loneliness and Live a Happier and More Meaningful Life. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Our 5-part "Shook By A Book" series continues today with US Congresswoman Katie Porter. (You might have seen her on TV; she's famous for pulling out whiteboards in hearings to make things simple and visual for the public.) She grew up a 4H kid in Iowa who ended up at boarding school in Massachusetts. In her first month on campus, she was assigned F. Scott Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby which has helped frame her thinking ever since. Katie's take on class, insecurity and fairness is well worth a listen. Special thanks to The Teagle Foundation for their generous support of this series.

This week's Thanks for Being Here features a letter from singer/songwriter Lisa Redfern to her unborn child, reflecting on her 12-year journey of trying to become a mother, her eventual acceptance of a different path, and finding love. Lisa shares her 2013 letter in full, detailing her dreams, heartbreaks, and how she found healing through becoming a stepmom to two boys. Links to the two songs referenced by Lisa: Waiting for You c. lisa redfern ASCAP https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2vyLyUtzeoE Live Through the Questions c. lisa redfern ASCAP https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wy-hs9HWkuo Lisa's website to learn more about her and check out her music: www.lisaredfern.com

In this special Go To, Kelly and Christy Turlington Burns sit down with Melinda French Gates to talk about the woman who raised her, Elaine, who taught her to set her own agenda and find a moment every day to really connect with the people who matter most. Our About Your Mother series raises funds to support safe and respectful pregnancy, delivery and postpartum care in 9 countries through Every Mother Counts, founded in 2010 and led every day since by Christy Turlington Burns. Please join us with a donation here. Maternal health is a human right. With special thanks to Tracy and David at Laughing Man Studios in Tribeca who support this series with pro bono studio time and superb coffee. Got feedback? Have an idea? We love to hear from listeners. Write us anytime — hello@kellycorrigan.com - or sign up for our weekly list of takeaways here. Check out Kelly's Tell Me More episode featuring Melinda French Gates. Past episodes from the About Your Mother series: Jennifer Garner Amy Schumer Bono Cindy Crawford Spike Lee Edward Burns

In the second episode of our "Shook by a Book" series, Kelly connects with Pulitzer Prize-winning reporter and bestselling author Charles Duhigg about a century-old book assigned to him in college which influenced his thinking and life choices. Charles is the author of Supercommunicators, and The Power of Habit. (He and Kelly actually share the same editor at Random House.) This book Charlie picked, William James's The Varieties of Religious Experience, gets at the psychological need for religion, the power of choice and how context influences our behavior. It also serves as a springboard for Kelly and Charlie to go deep on their careers, families and life decisions. Special thanks to The Teagle Foundation for their generous support of this series. This episode was recorded at the Aspen Ideas Festival.

Sherri Coale wrote a deeply-felt “you got this” letter to her son Colton in the days before his wedding. She was certain that if she tried to say all of the important things she wanted him to know, “nonsensical drivel wrapped in tears, would land in his lap”. So, she sat down and wrote him this loving, sage advice-filled letter. This is a great GOTO to share with any young couple you may know…and maybe even your partner. (Previously aired)

Funny with a touch of Irish melancholy. That's how actor, director, producer Edward Burns described Molly, his mother, to me and my co-host, Christy Turlington Burns (who has been married to Eddie for 20+ years). In celebration of his new novel, A Kid From Marlboro Road, Eddie joined us in studio to talk about childhood, parenthood and grief. Our About Your Mother series has raised funds to support safe and respectful pregnancy, delivery and postpartum care in 9 countries through Every Mother Counts, founded in 2010 and led every day since by Christy Turlington Burns. Please join us with a donation here. Maternal health is a human right. With special thanks to Tracy and David at Laughing Man Studios in Tribeca who support this series with pro bono studio time and superb coffee. Got feedback? Have an idea? We love to hear from listeners. Write us anytime — hello@kellycorrigan.com - or sign up for our weekly list of takeaways here. Check out our earlier episodes from the About Your Mother series: Jennifer Garner Amy Schumer Bono Cindy Crawford Spike Lee

Welcome to Shook By A Book, a 5 part series where we talk to big time American thinkers about transformative reading experiences. We're kicking off the set with a conversation with the U.S. Surgeon General, Dr. Vivek Murthy. Early in his med school days, a friend tipped him off to a book she found life-changing: The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho and Vivek dove in head first. Join us to find out how The Alchemist helped him move on after a devastating family experience and find his footing in a career he has loved. Also mentioned in this episode is the book: Conversations with God. Special thanks to the Teagle Foundation for their generous support of our Shook By A Book series.

Listener Duncan Keegan submitted this astonishingly beautiful eulogy which he wrote and delivered for his five year-old son Ruairí. We were so deeply moved when we first read it that we reached out to Duncan to see if he would consider reading it himself for today’s episode. He kindly agreed and said, “I hope it helps some grieving parents out there, especially the fathers. I think some fathers find it hard to find the voice.” We hope this stunning tribute helps anyone who is mourning the loss of a dear loved one to feel less alone.

How do people come to change their minds? Hint: it’s not because of some novel argument or just the right amount of pressure. Thanks to conversations with Monica Guzman and Michael Lewis, I came to see something more clearly. This is one to share with anyone you wish you could talk to more openly and comfortably about contentious issues. (Previously aired)

Judd Apatow is curious, unassuming and forthcoming in this conversation with Kelly about his mom, his daughters, the business that needs improving and the work he loves. Filmed for Kelly’s PBS show Tell Me More in Los Angeles in celebration of Judd’s new film, The Bubble. After talking to Judd, Kelly sat down with Columbia’s George Bonanno to talk about a key part of Judd’s history and how it relates to George’s work on resilience. (Previously aired)

Tim and Julie Vasquez submitted two lovely essays that Tim wrote when it was time to send their sons off to college. We loved both and today we’re airing the first one called, “The Drive to Oregon”. It’s a beautiful reminder to us all that although the destination is important, it’s the journey that really matters. (Previously aired)

Confessions and thoughts on all the ways our biases mess up how we think and how that locks us into boring, no-growth positions from the stage of The Nantucket Project, a great weekend-long think session with some of the nicest people I have ever met. (You should meet me there next year, Sept 26-29, 2024.) (Previously aired)

We learned today that one of our favorite guests, Dr. Helen Fisher, passed away recently. I first heard her name from my daughter Claire. She and her friends had discovered this 79 year old researcher on sex and relationships and were hooked on her plain spoken insights. I tuned in. She was a spectacular communicator with vetted and validated information on a super important topic. In other words, my ideal guest. Here's where we started: the number one driver of happiness across time and culture is meaningful connection to others. So how do you get it and how do you keep it? Dr. Helen Fisher has been studying love for 5 decades. 5. That’s a lot of information. Share this conversation with the people you love. Tons of takeaways that you can integrate immediately. (Previously aired) Take Helen’s personality quiz and figure out who you are…and who you aren’t. Funding for this episode was provided by UC Berkeley's Greater Good Science Center as part of its "Expanding Awareness of the Science of Intellectual Humility" initiative, supported by the John Templeton Foundation.

Though we dream of big overhauls, national change often comes after many states and cities sprinkled across the country come to the same conclusion about what’s best. I loved talking to Josh Graham Lynn, who co-founded the bi-partisan organization Represent.us to fight corruption and fix America. In the decade they’ve been up and running, their work has focused on matching pubic support for a given law and the passage of said law. Here’s Jennifer Lawrence explaining why government doesn’t represent us and what to do about it (e.g. ranked choice voting…). (Previously aired) To receive a short set of our weekly takeaways in your email, sign up here.