Kelly Corrigan Wonders

Go To on Joining Us Live Oct 16, 2026 573 Kelly and her longtime friend Jennifer Wallace, the New York Times bestselling author known for her work on mattering, are taking their ongoing conversation on the road. Jenny makes the case for mattering, Kelly makes the case for making and creativity, and the two sit down together to find where those ideas actually meet. Thanks to the Walton Family Foundation, they’re bringing the whole thing to

Deep Dive with "Can Do Mom" Cortney Oct 13, 2026 3353 She spent a decade in uniform, searched for signs of life on Mars, and once calmly aided soldiers wounded in combat. Then, at 40, she found herself living in her car, pregnant, with nothing left but the will to start over. Kelly talks with new mom Cortney in the 3rd episode of our Can Do Moms series, about what happens when a person built for crisis finally meets one she can't out-strategize. They

Thanks For Being Here - Kelly's Letter to the Nurses Oct 11, 2026 411 A letter from Kelly to honor the many special nurses who have provided care to her and the people she loves. (Previously aired)

Go To on AI & Raising Kids After Loss Oct 9, 2026 1748 Andy Laats thought parenting was a complete alphabet—he did A through M, his wife Liz handled N through Z. After she died of ovarian cancer, he learned he'd underestimated the N through Z work, and then discovered there was a whole world beyond language he never even knew existed. In this Go To episode featuring Andy's TED talk from Kelly's curated session on AI and family life, a CEO learns what

Deep Dive with "Can Do Mom" Ariela Oct 6, 2026 3312 Kelly talks with Ariela, a mother of two in Massachusetts who was told by a doctor, just three days after giving birth, that her newborn son was slowly dying. He was diagnosed with a rare metabolic disorder, rushed to Children's Hospital, and spent 22 days in intensive care. It was a crisis that reshaped her family's finances, her older son's sense of normal — and one she is still navigating every

Thanks For Being Here - Auntie Marge the Maker Oct 4, 2026 438 Jody Weverka wrote this sweet eulogy for her Auntie Marge - a woman who made everything from crafts to meals to gardens to family life better for everyone. (Previously aired)

Go To on What a Maasai Childhood Teaches About Modern Life Oct 2, 2026 1792 A Maasai girl grows up milking cows at dawn, walking ten kilometers for water, sleeping eight to a bed, surrounded by 38 siblings and five mothers who all knew her name and sang her song. Then she leaves for the city—chosen husband, three children, a laptop, shoes with zippers. Kelly shares Ndinini Kimesera Sikar's TED talk about living in two worlds and the question that haunts her: what do we pr

Deep Dive with "Can Do Mom" Chelsea Sep 29, 2026 2898 Chelsea wakes up before 4:30 AM, drives a school bus through rain and mud, and still finds a way to give her sons the kind of stability she lacked growing up. Kelly opens a new four-part series, Can Do Moms with a conversation about what it actually takes to raise good kids on very little sleep and even less margin for error. They talk about the community that shows up when family can't, the quiet

Thanks For Being Here - When a Friend Loses a Parent Sep 27, 2026 249 Quite often, it’s hard to know how to properly show up for a friend who’s going through a tough time - that is, until you’ve been through the experience yourself and can relate more fully. This is Kelly’s letter to friends who have lost a parent and also to those of us who feel we could have shown up for someone in a better way. (Previously aired)

Go To on Attention and Awe Sep 25, 2026 686 What does it take to truly see someone before they're gone? Kelly shares an essay she wrote for an evening celebrating awe, reflecting on attention as a practice—learning to notice in wild places with a guide who insists you look closer, then bringing that same discipline to a quiet room where it matters most. (Previously aired)

Deep Dive with Nicholas Epley on Connection Sep 22, 2026 3335 Why do so many of us sit in silence next to a stranger, certain a conversation would go badly, when the data says otherwise? Kelly talks with behavioral scientist Nicholas Epley, author of the new book A Little More Social, about the small, quiet decisions that keep us more isolated than we need to be—and what happens in the rare moments we choose to reach out instead. We're airing this conversati

Thanks For Being Here - Tracy's 80th Birthday Toast to her Mom Sep 20, 2026 511 Kelly shares a listener's story that perfectly captures what Thanks For Being Here is all about - honoring the people who matter most, whether they're still with us or have moved on. Tracy Hargan's beautiful toast to her 80-year-old mother Janet shows us why these tributes are so powerful and needed. Through the toast given at her mom's birthday celebration, Tracy reminds us all to speak our love

Go To on the Health Benefits of Connection Sep 18, 2026 471 For almost 90 years, Harvard has been tracking the same group of men to answer one question: what actually leads to a long, happy life? Kelly digs into the findings, which point again and again to the same surprising answer — not money, not IQ — but the quality of our closest relationships. She connects it to research on chronic pain, a study on personality change well into old age, and a simple t

Deep Dive with Cava Menzies and Charles Limb on Music and the Brain Sep 15, 2026 3363 Why do we still treat music like a luxury, given everything we now know about what it actually does for the human brain? Kelly talks with music educator and composer Cava Menzies and hearing surgeon and neuroscientist Dr. Charles Limb about the strange, powerful territory where sound meets the mind—the growing evidence that hearing loss may be tied to cognitive decline, and the case that music its

Thanks For Being Here - Mary Hope's Letter to her Dad on his 90th Birthday Sep 13, 2026 687 Kelly reads a birthday letter from her lifelong friend Mary Hope McQuiston to her father Bob, who is turning 90. Instead of throwing a surprise party, Mary Hope decided to honor her dad by collecting the lessons he's taught her—one for each decade he's lived. What unfolds is a portrait of a life well-lived, told through stories about elaborate pranks, deep friendships, showing up when it matters,

Go To on Someday Sep 11, 2026 458 Kelly follows up on her conversation with Susan Cain (author of Quiet and Bittersweet) with a song that captures the same ache of longing they talked about. It's a small tribute to the things we're all still waiting for, featuring a haunting, original song, Someday, by her friend — musician and NYU professor Mike Errico.Mike's book that Kelly mentioned is: Music, Lyrics, and Life: A Field Guide fo

Deep Dive with Susan Cain on Longing Sep 8, 2026 3316 Author Susan Cain, who first reframed introversion for millions of readers in Quiet, turns her attention to something even more universal: the strange, aching beauty of knowing that everyone we love, we will someday lose. Kelly talks with Susan about why sorrow might be one of the most uniting forces we have — and what changes in us once we stop running from that truth. They also discuss Susan's b

Thanks For Being Here - Kristina's Eulogy for her mom Ann Emanuels Sep 6, 2026 589 Kristina Phipps wrote this exquisite, poetic eulogy to honor her mom Ann Emanuels. Ann's love for beauty and her affinity for the natural world shone through in her garden, where she loved to spend time. She saw a world to be seized and not squandered and would pack more into a day than seemed humanly possible. Perhaps more than anything though, Ann viewed the world as a place that should be savor

Go To on the Fourth Instinct Sep 4, 2026 481 Kelly shares a piece by her friend Arianna Huffington ("Self-Discovery Is Our Strongest Drive" - New York Times, June 17, 2026) about the drive underneath all our other drives—the pull toward meaning that shows up in our hardest losses and our most exhausting successes. It's a reflection on what psychologist Abraham Maslow called transcendence, and what it means to keep growing toward the truest v

Deep Dive with Jim Collins on Discovery Sep 1, 2026 3955 Kelly sits down with Jim Collins—the bestselling author behind business classics Good to Great and Built to Last—for a live conversation recorded on stage at Sixth & I in Washington, D.C., about his new book, What to Make of a Life. For over a decade, Collins studied 34 exceptional people, from astronauts to Supreme Court justices to rock stars, matching them into pairs who faced the same defi

Thanks For Being Here - Amy's Dad Harold "Wes" Westlund Aug 30, 2026 479 Amy Zuckerman shares a remembrance of her late father Harry “Wes” Westlund. Wes was a special man whose dream of becoming an Air Force fighter pilot was taken away just days before he was to receive his wings, due to a heart murmur. Amy says that although her dad lived his entire life under the threat of a heart defect, he had no issues at all with his capital “H” heart. He was a loving, caring an

Go To on the College Drop-off Aug 28, 2026 461 Kelly reads an essay she wrote several years ago about dropping her daughter off at college—the last box unpacked, the last goodbye said, and the strange quiet that follows. It's a reflection on the myth of ownership in parenting, and what it actually means to raise someone only to watch them walk away — unstoppable.

Deep Dive with Raymond Ansotegui on Great Coaching Aug 25, 2026 3242 Most people run from danger. Raymond Ansotegui spent a decade running toward it. In this episode of our Great Coaches series, Kelly talks with a retired rodeo bullfighter about what happens when your job is to step between a thrown rider and an animal the size of a car. Through stories about learning to read personality in a bucking bull, finding connection in the most chaotic moments and understa

Thanks For Being Here - Kelly Finds an Old Letter to her Mom Aug 23, 2026 391 Kelly recently found an old letter (hidden away in a closet in Bozeman) that she had written to her mom, way back in 1991. It’s good to look back sometimes at old letters and half-finished journal entries and be reminded of who we were - and who we wanted to become. (Previously aired)

Go To on Our Greatest Collaborator Aug 21, 2026 480 Every piano, every oil painting, every scrap of silk is proof of a 150,000-year collaboration between human hands and the raw materials of the earth. Kelly shares a speech she wrote for the OneGreenThing Forum in Bozeman, MT, making the case that art isn't separate from nature—it's the clearest evidence of our dependence on it.

Deep Dive with Ali Truwit on Great Coaching Aug 18, 2026 3325 As part of our Great Coaches series, Kelly talks with Ali Truwit, who went from Yale Division I swimmer to shark attack survivor to Paralympic silver medalist in just over a year. Two days after her college graduation, a snorkeling trip in Turks and Caicos ended with Ali losing her left foot and part of her leg as a result of a shark attack. What followed wasn't just a physical recovery but a comp

Thanks For Being Here - Kathleen's Letter to Coach Dave Greenberg Aug 16, 2026 314 What makes a coach unforgettable? Kelly reads listener Kathleen Ricketts' tribute to her high school basketball coach, Dave Greenberg—known simply as "DG". This isn't a story about championships or statistics. It's about a man who knew his players as individuals, who loved freely and built confidence that shaped the trajectory of their lives. Through Kathleen's words, we meet a coach who became a

Go To on Admitting You Don't Know Aug 14, 2026 869 There's a particular kind of courage in admitting you don't know something. In this final piece of their onstage conversation at the Aspen Ideas Festival, Kelly and Sharon McMahon trace what happens when trust in institutions erodes and people are left to find their own sources of truth (including AI).Very special thanks to our friends at the Aspen Ideas Festival where this episode was recorded.

Deep Dive with Andy Ward on Great Coaching Aug 11, 2026 3363 How do you help someone see their own work more clearly without breaking their spirit? In this episode of our "Great Coaches" series, Kelly talks with her editor Andy Ward about the delicate art of literary coaching—knowing when to push a writer toward uncomfortable truths and when to step back and let them find their own way. Through stories about working with David Sedaris, George Saunders and t

Thanks For Being Here - Jodie's Eulogy for her Dad George Aug 9, 2026 839 Kelly shares a beautiful eulogy from listener Jody Antypas which she wrote for her Greek immigrant father George—a man who came to America with one suitcase and built a life from scratch. From his wartime childhood to becoming "Pappou" the pancake-making, Monopoly-playing, sand castle-building grandfather, George's story will make you laugh and cry in equal measure. It's a reminder of why immigra

Go To on the Civics Gap Aug 7, 2026 852 Somewhere between what we're taught and what we actually believe, there's a gap—and someone is always ready to fill it. Kelly sits down again with America's government teacher, Sharon McMahon, recorded live on stage at the Aspen Ideas Festival, to trace the invisible architecture of how a country teaches itself what's true. They talk about the seduction of confidence and the strange new authority

Welcome to For the Love with Jen Hatmaker Aug 5, 2026 3979 Joy isn't the reward you earn after all the work is done. Joy is the work. That's what a new series on For the Love with Jen Hatmaker is all about, the Sacred Yes. It's choosing delight, rest, and pleasure on purpose because saying yes to yourself, that's the thing that finally lets you fill your table with everybody else. In this episode, Jen sits down with writer, poet, and community-builde

Deep Dive with Geraldine Brooks on Fairness Aug 4, 2026 3121 Pulitzer Prize-winning novelist Geraldine Brooks set out to profile a government bureaucrat and found something closer to fiction: Jarod Koopman, a fit, tattooed IRS agent who teaches jiu-jitsu three mornings a week, built his own house (including a wine cellar because he also happens to be a certified sommelier), and has personally helped return billions of dollars to American taxpayers while fre

Thanks For Being Here - Honoring Glen Hansard Aug 2, 2026 283 This week, a quiet goodbye. Kelly remembers Glen Hansard—musician, actor, and the beating heart of the lovely independent film Once—who died this week at 56. It's a short reflection on presence, authenticity and making art against the odds. Raise a glass.

Go To on Working With Your Enemies Jul 31, 2026 841 This is the second clip from Kelly's conversation with Sharon McMahon — former public school teacher, America's unofficial government teacher, and someone who has spent years reminding the rest of us that we've been here before. This week she tells the story of a woman named Septima Clark, who was fired for her civil rights work, went on to teach some of the most consequential figures in American

Deep Dive with John Lanchester on Knowing Jul 28, 2026 3490 The Consumer Price Index determines your grandmother's Social Security, your SNAP benefits, your divorce settlement, and — historically, at least — whether the president keeps his job. It is also, according to British journalist and novelist John Lanchester, intellectually thrilling. In the fourth episode of our Unsung series, Kelly talks with the writer The Economist called "a down-to-earth and w

Thanks For Being Here - The Group Ride Jul 26, 2026 290 Nobody calls it therapy. That's why it works. Kelly's husband Edward rides bikes several times a week, and keeps coming home saying the conversations are deeper and richer than Kelly might expect. This week, a piece of writing started circulating among cyclists everywhere that explains exactly why - and we thought it was worth sharing. Written by Anthony Walsh (host of The Roadman Cycling Podcast)

Go To on the Antidote to Cynicism Jul 24, 2026 515 Sharon McMahon is a former public school teacher who now teaches civics to over a million people on the internet. Kelly caught up with her at the Aspen Ideas Festival, and this clip is about something that feels urgent right now: the difference between just knowing more and actually doing something — and why cynicism, left unchecked, might be the most dangerous force in a democracy.Special thanks

Deep Dive with Sarah Vowell on Access Jul 21, 2026 3089 Somewhere in the National Archives, there are 13 billion documents that belong to every American — and for most of our history, you had to get yourself to Washington, DC if you wanted to see them. In the third episode of our Unsung series, Kelly talks with historian and writer Sarah Vowell about Pamela Wright — a woman who grew up on a ranch in Conrad, Montana, became the Chief Innovation Officer

Thanks For Being Here - Andra's Short & Sweet Anniversary Message Jul 19, 2026 257 This week we're sharing listener Andra Cardow's reflection on twenty years of marriage. She shows us how love grows through everyday moments—dog walks, car rides, and cozy nights at home. It's a delightful reminder that our most treasured relationships aren't built on big, dramatic moments, but in all those small, seemingly ordinary times we spend together. Andra beautifully describes finding joy

Go To on Saying No and Embracing "Good Enough" Jul 17, 2026 344 In this episode, Kelly shares a piece of writing she's kept in her drawer for years about the power of choosing "good enough." She reflects on her mom's wisdom about saying "no" to the endless invitations and expectations that pile up in our daily lives and how learning to be selective creates space for what truly matters (Previously aired)

Deep Dive with Max Stier on Expertise Jul 15, 2026 3536 There are people working inside the federal government right now solving problems so enormous and so unglamorous that most of us will never know their names — or what we owe them. In the first episode of our new series Unsung — inspired by Michael Lewis's book, Who Is Government? — Kelly talks with Max Stier, CEO of the nonpartisan Partnership for Public Service, about who these people a

Deep Dive with Michael Lewis on Devotion Jul 14, 2026 3170 Michael Lewis went looking for the people holding this country together and found something he didn't expect — not just competence, but a kind of devotion so pure it made him want to keep writing about it. In the second episode of our Unsung series, Kelly sits down with one of the greatest storytellers alive to talk about what he's discovered inside the federal government, why the material keeps

Thanks For Being Here - "What Makes a Home?" Jul 12, 2026 670 What is it that actually makes a home? Is it four walls? A neighborhood? A partner? Or is it something far less expected?In this week's Thanks For Being Here, Kelly reads a beautiful essay from listener Elisa Haggarty, who reflects on leaving the tiny Brooklyn apartment that quietly reshaped her understanding of love, belonging, and community.

Go To on the Unsung Jul 10, 2026 682 Who's actually holding this country together? Not the people you see on cable news. Kelly delivered this talk at Montana Festival (2026) as a love letter to the hard working folks most of us will never know — the ones doing the slow, unglamorous, essential work that makes everything else in America possible. This is what kicked off our Unsung series — a good reminder of what we have and what we o

Thanks For Being Here - Nancy Brown's Essay "Cincinnatus" Jul 5, 2026 351 Kelly shares a Marine Corps wife's essay (titled "Cincinnatus") honoring her husband's quiet retirement after 20 years of service. Instead of ceremonies, his legacy lives in small, meaningful actions like giving away his expensive uniform to help a young officer and driving a beat-up Corolla with a trunk full of first aid supplies - so he can help anyone, on a moment's notice. It's a moving remind

Go To on The Repair Gap Jul 3, 2026 335 An apology is not a transaction. Kelly learned this the hard way — and if you've ever said sorry and then immediately started asking if you're forgiven yet, this one is for you.

Deep Dive with Claire Danes and Kate Bowler - Book Clubbing with Kelly Part 3 Jun 30, 2026 3140 Sadly, this is the last conversation with Claire Danes and Kate Bowler about what makes life worth all the trouble, worry and suffering. In this freewheeling ride, we dig into just how inevitable personal ethical failure is and therefore, what does repair require. Like, how good are you at apologizing? Have you really accepted the people you love — as they are — or are you still trying to change t

Thanks For Being Here - A Pretty Short Eulogy for a Very Tall Father Jun 28, 2026 351 Some people meet old age and loss with bitterness. Dick Bolz met it with gratitude so genuine it left everyone around him a little changed. Lutheran pastor & author Nadia Bolz-Weber's eulogy for her father is short, funny, and moving — the kind of thing you'll want to listen to twice. Kelly and Nadia will be doing another Substack Live together (this one will focus on grief) on Tuesday, July 7

Go To on Figuring Out Who You're Serving Jun 26, 2026 488 Ten years ago, when Kelly's dad Greenie was nearing the end of his life, she stumbled onto a question that quietly reorganized the way she has moved through almost every interaction since. It's just a single question — which when asked early enough — and honestly enough — can change everything about how you show up for the people you love.

Deep Dive with Claire Danes and Kate Bowler - Book Clubbing with Kelly Part 2 Jun 23, 2026 3227 Claire Danes, Kate Bowler and I try to figure out how the hell to live lives of real meaning and discovery, how to depersonalize the slings and arrows of any season, how to remember our agency and mobility. Based on Life Worth Living: A Guide to What Matters Most from authors Miroslav Volf, Matthew Croasmun and Ryan McAnnally-Linz. Special thanks to the Warren Smoot Carter III and Meagan Carter

Thanks For Being Here - Cody's Eulogy for His Grandfather Pat Minitti Jun 21, 2026 489 Every Sunday at 5:00 PM, the door was unlocked, the table somehow always had room for one more, and the sauce was already on the stove. Pat Minitti fed everyone who found their way to him — family, strangers from the Fry's checkout line, future in-laws — and in doing so, taught his grandson Cody about unconditional love. This is the eulogy Cody wrote and delivered at his grandfather's funeral. Thi

Go To on 10 Life Tips for All of Us Jun 19, 2026 365 A young friend of Kelly's, Sophie G, shared this speech that she had saved from her high school graduation week. It was given by Dr. Chris Cunningham, then at Lawrenceville, now at Whitfield, who gathered 10 takeaways for the students that are actually quite useful to every one of us. (Previously aired) For a review of Kelly's weekly takeaways join her free Substack.

Deep Dive with Claire Danes and Kate Bowler - Book Clubbing with Kelly Part 1 Jun 16, 2026 3154 How do the values we inherited clash or complement the cultures we come of age in? How can we stay the right size in the world and in our own minds? What do you worship and nurture - art, the church, politics, food? Claire Danes and Kate Bowler join Kelly to talk about all the things that came up as they read Life Worth Living, our first Kelly Corrigan Wonders bookclub pick. (Previously aired) Bas

Thanks For Being Here - Mary's Homage to Judy Heumann Jun 14, 2026 446 Listener Mary Plisco watched a documentary about a summer camp from the 1970s and came away with a new hero — a woman she'd somehow never heard of, despite a career spent doing work this hero made possible. This one is a letter to Judy Heumann, the so-called mother of the disability rights movement, and a reminder that some of the most consequential people in history did their work quietly enough

Go To on What We Lose When We Know Too Much Jun 12, 2026 434 We can see the menu before we go to the restaurant. We can watch the trailer before we buy the ticket. We can read three years of someone's Instagram before we agree to meet them for coffee. Kelly wonders what all of that preparation is actually costing us — and whether the novelty we keep optimizing out of our lives is the very thing we need the most.

Deep Dive with Cava Menzies on Creative Attunement Jun 9, 2026 3142 There's a game Cava Menzies plays with her students. She asks each of them to say a word — snowfall, nightmare, dragons — and then she translates it into music on the piano right in front of them. Every time, something magical happens in the room. In the tenth and final episode of our Wired to Create series, Cava — musician, educator, and founding faculty at Oakland School for the Arts — makes the

Thanks For Being Here - Amy's Mom PT Jun 7, 2026 388 This weekend marks what would have been producer Tammy (Tiehel) Stedman's mom's 85th birthday — she passed away in March 2022. All three of the Tiehel sisters eulogized their incredible mom PT but this one, written by daughter Amy, really sums up the way PT lived her life: always on the lookout for the person having a tough go of it, the loner, the one who needed a helping hand. This is a story

Go To on Assuming the Identity You Want Jun 5, 2026 455 There's a body of research that says the clothes you wear don't just change how others see you — they change how you see yourself. Kelly traces this idea from her conversation with Denver high school principal Steve Day back to a foundational psychology study, and lands somewhere unexpected: that identity might be less something you earn and more something you assume.

Deep Dive with Steve Day on Creative Pathways Jun 2, 2026 3463 What if a high school student could spend their day fixing a plane, machining a part destined for a rocket launch, or building a house that a family will actually live in? At the Cherry Creek Innovation Campus (CCIC) in the Denver metro area, that's just a Tuesday. In the ninth episode of our Wired to Create series, Principal Steve Day makes the case that when you stop underestimating teenagers an

Thanks For Being Here - Christina's Gratitude for Mr. O'Brien May 31, 2026 324 Sometimes all it takes is one person asking the right question at the right moment. Listener Christina Bonvouloir was fourteen, grieving the loss of her beloved father, and quietly falling apart — until a gruff Latin teacher with a twinkle in his eye pulled her aside and asked what was wrong. She never forgot it. Neither will you

Go To on Advice for Grads May 29, 2026 615 In a speech to high school graduates, Kelly shared her take on the things only we know about ourselves — and how keeping our internal dialog honest sets the table for a good and happy life. Please share with all the 2026 graduates in your life. (Previously aired) Please join Kelly on her free Substack. https://kellycorriganwonders.substack.com/

Deep Dive with Aditya Vishwanath on Creative Access May 26, 2026 3551 There's a version of education that produces brilliant test-takers and has very little to do with learning. Aditya Vishwanath, Stanford-trained education researcher and co-founder of MakerGhat — a nonprofit makerspace network operating in thousands of schools across India — knows that version intimately, and has spent his career building the antidote. In this episode of our Wired to Create series,

Thanks For Being Here - Lena's Homage to Her Godmother Linda May 24, 2026 429 Some people teach us things. Others show us how to live. Kelly's cousin Lena writes beautifully about her godmother Linda — painter, cook, creative force — and what it means to be shaped by someone who savors all of the beauty life has to offer. Check out Lena's Substack "Cooking with Littles" https://cookingwithlittles.substack.com/

Go To on What It Takes to Win May 22, 2026 728 Kelly's cousin Kevin Corrigan has been coaching the Notre Dame men's lacrosse team for decades — and this weekend his team is playing (yet again) for the national championship. In honor of that, we're sharing two clips from Kelly's longer conversation with Kevin about what it really means to lead, what it takes to build something that lasts, and why winning is so much harder than it looks from th

Deep Dive with Sara DeWitt on Creative Intention May 19, 2026 3587 Fred Rogers (aka "Mr. Rogers") looked at television and didn't see it as a danger for kids — he saw it as a door. Sara DeWitt has spent her career walking through it. As Senior VP and General Manager of PBS Kids, she has devoted decades to asking what children's media can be when the people making it are optimizing for something other than revenue. In the seventh episode of our Wired to Create se

Thanks For Being Here - Game Night May 17, 2026 336 Graduation season is upon us, and if you're a parent in the thick of it, listener Stephanie Wass wrote this for you. It's a small, quiet essay about a game of Uno that somehow holds everything — the pride, the grief, and the very specific ache of knowing the cards are no longer in your hands.

Go To on "It's Going To Be OK" with Nora McInerny May 15, 2026 3883 Kelly recently appeared on Nora McInerney's podcast called, "It's Going To Be OK" — and the conversation was too good not to share here. Two people with a low tolerance for small talk and a high tolerance for the messy, beautiful, occasionally terrifying truth of being alive, trading the things that are giving them hope right now.

Introducing Family Lore May 13, 2026 199 Family Lore is a weekly narrative podcast that celebrates and investigates ancestral mystique. Each episode begins with a guest sharing a fascinating family legend, followed by a historical deep-dive to uncover the truth and meaning behind the tale. Available now. https://link.pscrb.fm/f0281/FLFD

Deep Dive with Jonathan Bijur on Creative Freedom May 12, 2026 3147 Kids walk into Rediscover Center in Los Angeles with nothing but an idea and leave with something that will last a lifetime. Jonathan Bijur has spent decades figuring out what makes that possible — and what gets in the way. In the sixth episode of our Wired to Create series, he makes the case for the most counter-cultural idea in education right now: that children learn more when adults get out o

Thanks For Being Here - Kelly's Eulogy for her Mom May 10, 2026 693 For Mother's Day, we're sharing the eulogy Kelly wrote for her mom, Mary Corrigan. Mother's Day means something different to everyone — whether you're celebrating today, grieving, or somewhere in between — we're thinking of you. (Previously aired)

Go To - Christy Turlington Burns and Bono Talking Moms May 8, 2026 3099 Today's episode is a part of our "About Your Mother" series honoring Every Mother Counts. Bono lost his mother Iris when he was 14 years old. She had an aneurysm at her father’s funeral and as he says, he’s been singing to her ever since. This is a very special conversation, possibly my favorite interview of all time, made more lovely and intimate by the friendship between Bono and Christy going b

Deep Dive with Beth Stelling on Creative Courage May 5, 2026 3313 Beth Stelling grew up making people laugh before she knew it was a skill worth taking seriously. It took years of open mics and a lot of hard-won stage time before she found her truest voice. In the fifth episode of our Wired to Create series, Beth talks about the family that shaped her, the speech and debate program that first put her on a stage, the years it took to finally sound like herself in

Thanks For Being Here - When My Mama Left This World May 3, 2026 390 Some people move through the world so quietly and so generously that you don't fully understand what they were doing until they're gone. Courtenay Rudzinski's almost 90 year-old mother was one of those people. This is the essay Courtenay wrote after losing her.

Go To - Christy Turlington Burns and Jennifer Garner Talking Moms May 1, 2026 2682 Jen G, as we call her in my house, is as special and wonderful as you think she is. She is such a ready learner that she carries around a pen and notebook everywhere she goes. She cares about all the right things and not one bit of the nonsense. She is still, in many essential ways, one of the “Garner girls” from West Virginia. Today’s conversation, co-hosted by Christy Turlington Burns, celebrate

Deep Dive with Blythe Harris on Creative Routines Apr 28, 2026 3108 At 22, Blythe Harris was hit by an 18-wheeler in downtown San Francisco, pronounced dead on arrival, and spent the next several years rebuilding her identity from a hospital gurney. What she discovered in that long, humbling process set her on a lifelong inquiry into creativity — not the capital C kind that most people assume doesn't belong to them, but the small, daily, five-minute kind that turn

Thanks For Being Here - Remembering Ms. Marber Apr 26, 2026 389 Some teachers don't just teach you things — they show you who you are. Listener Nicole McDermott wrote this the night she found out her high school English teacher, Wendy Marber, had died — a caring educator who never went easy on her students, never stopped believing in them, and somehow shifted the way a teenager saw herself in a single hallway conversation. This one is for every teacher whose

Go To - Spike Lee and Christy Turlington Burns Talking Moms Apr 24, 2026 2625 This episode is part of our special 5-part series about moms in honor of Every Mother Counts. Christy and I recently spent an unforgettable Saturday afternoon talking to the singular force of nature that is Spike Lee about his mother, Jackie, who died when Spike was a sophomore at Morehouse College. Spike has 134 directing credits over four+ decades, in each case imploring us to Wake Up. Here’s a

Deep Dive with Jeff Kinney on Creative Constraints Apr 21, 2026 3307 Jeff Kinney spent eight years working on Diary of a Wimpy Kid almost entirely in silence — no feedback, no applause, no guarantee it would ever amount to anything. He just kept going. In the third episode of our Wired to Create series, Kelly sits down with the creator of one of the bestselling book franchises in history to talk about why the siren song of instant validation might be the enemy of

Thanks For Being Here - Janice Finn Weekes on What Volunteering Gives Back Apr 19, 2026 289 Janice Finn Weekes retired from a career in adult training and wasn't sure she was qualified to teach an AARP safe driving course. Her friends set her straight: you don't have to be an expert driver, you have to be an expert trainer. Five years later, she's still showing up — and noticing something unexpected in her classroom. In a scary world, her students have gotten sweeter with each other. Som

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