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Clear+Vivid with Alan Alda

Clear+Vivid with Alan Alda

Alan Alda 428 Episodes Aug 18, 2026

In this podcast, Alan Alda hosts spirited conversations with notable people about the challenges and rewards of connecting with others. Guests include cultural luminaries, and topics explore communication in personal, professional, and public contexts. The show aims to help listeners improve their ability to relate and communicate. Each episode highlights how meaningful connection can be difficult but ultimately fulfilling.

Episodes

Yael Schonbrun: It’s not what you say…
Yael Schonbrun: It’s not what you say… Aug 18, 2026 00:37:42 There is more to successful communication than picking the right words. We need to understand that our understanding of others is shaped by factors we are mostly unaware of, ranging from our upbringing to how well we slept. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
Tom Levenson: Anti-vaxxers are living in the past
Tom Levenson: Anti-vaxxers are living in the past Aug 11, 2026 00:37:07 Opposition to vaccines goes back to their invention. And while doubts about vaccine safely may have been justified 300 years ago, those same doubts have lingered among those opposing vaccines today – vaccines that are overwhelmingly safe and have saved millions of lives. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for
Nicholas Epley: Talking to strangers
Nicholas Epley: Talking to strangers Aug 4, 2026 00:37:09 An encounter on his commuter train led to 20 years of research that changed his life for the better. You too can be friendlier, kinder, more open, more curious – and the first step could be a smile and a hello to the stranger sitting next to you. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
Lisa Genova: She lets us into their worlds
Lisa Genova: She lets us into their worlds Jul 28, 2026 00:36:50 A neuroscientist who also writes novels –  including one that became an award-winning movie – Lisa Genova lets us experience the stories lived by people with brain diseases ranging from Alzheimer's to bipolar disorder. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
Matt Kaplan: They were right after all
Matt Kaplan: They were right after all Jul 21, 2026 00:36:40 Vivid stories of scientists whose claims were ignored or ridiculed, from Galileo to Kati Karikó – the woman whose work was critical in developing the mRNA Covid vaccine that saved millions of lives. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
Roxanne Khamsi: You are mutating – and that’s (mostly) a good thing
Roxanne Khamsi: You are mutating – and that’s (mostly) a good thing Jul 14, 2026 00:36:21 Mutations sound scary. But the DNA that shaped us is has been mutating since we were born. Some mutations are bad for our health while others are helping us stay alive, sprucing up our livers and fighting off germs. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
Lawrence O’Donnell: Inventing Arnie Vinick
Lawrence O’Donnell: Inventing Arnie Vinick Jul 7, 2026 00:38:44 Today an MS NOW host, in 2004 he was writer/producer on the popular NBC series The West Wing tasked with introducing a new character – a Republican Senator running for president. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
Walter Isaacson: Are these truths still self-evident?
Walter Isaacson: Are these truths still self-evident? Jun 30, 2026 00:36:16 On the eve of our nation's 250th, Walter Isaacson takes a deep dive into the second sentence of the Declaration of Independence. It's what he calls "the greatest sentence ever written." Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
Kate Bowler: Joy is surprising
Kate Bowler: Joy is surprising Jun 23, 2026 00:37:09 A decade on from being diagnosed with a deadly cancer – and eight years since her first visit with Clear and Vivid  – she tells of the many ways she has been taken by surprise by joy, as recounted in her new book – Joyful, Anyway Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
Dhruv Khullar: The doctor has stories
Dhruv Khullar: The doctor has stories Jun 16, 2026 00:36:40 As AI takes an increasing role in medical decisions, a physician employs stories to tell how the role of our doctors is changing Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
Chris Duffy: How laughter connects us
Chris Duffy: How laughter connects us Jun 9, 2026 00:36:37 Finding humor in the many absurdities of everyday life – including our own foolishness – can help us see things in new ways, foster understanding… above all, mend our ability to connect with others. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
Clear+Vivid with Alan Alda: Season 34 Trailer
Clear+Vivid with Alan Alda: Season 34 Trailer Jun 2, 2026 00:26:17 Alan and Executive Producer Graham Chedd look ahead to season 34. Episodes include one of Alan’s favorite topics – humor, and its power to connect; finding joy in unexpected places; why telling stories makes for better doctors; and how Alan’s character in The West Wing, Arnie Vinick, came to be. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and

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