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Now I've Heard Everything

Now I've Heard Everything

Bill Thompson 758 Episodes Sep 4, 2026

A podcast hosted by veteran interviewer Bill Thompson, featuring conversations with memoirists, biographers, artists, survivors, and cultural figures about the pivotal moments in their lives. Each episode explores the turning points, choices, shocks, and breakthroughs that shaped these extraordinary individuals. With over three decades of interview experience, Bill guides guests into the deeper stories behind their public narratives.

Episodes

Cole Brauer: At 29 "I Did The Dream"
Cole Brauer: At 29 "I Did The Dream" Sep 4, 2026 00:32:28 What happens when you spend four months completely alone, racing non-stop around the planet through the Southern Ocean and around Cape Horn? For Cole Brauer, who at 29 became the first American woman to race solo non-stop around the world, the finish line wasn't the goal. The journey was. In her deeply personal new memoir, **First Light: Sailing Solo But Not Alone**, Cole talks with Bill about why
One Doctor's Burnout Fix: Bread-making
One Doctor's Burnout Fix: Bread-making Sep 1, 2026 00:22:09 What happens when a Cleveland Clinic internist and mother of three develops chest pain and the diagnosis is just stress? For Dr. Beth Ricanati, the prescription wasn't another pill. It was a bowl of dough. On a friend's Rosh Hashanah suggestion - "Why don't you make challah?" - she spent an afternoon with 6 ingredients. Beeper off, hands in dough for 20 minutes, she finally stopped. And felt bette
How a 50-Year-Old Widow Secretly Built a Favorite American Brand
How a 50-Year-Old Widow Secretly Built a Favorite American Brand Aug 28, 2026 00:31:21 When her husband died in 1908, 50-year-old Rose Knox inherited America's largest manufacturer of unflavored gelatin. For a respectable woman then, running a national factory was unthinkable, so for six years she ran the Knox Gelatin company invisibly. Rachel Greenfield, a Harvard MBA searching for trailblazers before the "firsts" of the 1960s, found Rose's papers hidden in an attic. But she didn't
The Storyteller CEO
The Storyteller CEO Aug 21, 2026 00:24:41 What does a biotech CEO who has brought eight orphan drugs to market have in common with a bestselling novelist? In this case, they are the same person. Today's guest is Fredric Price, who writes award-winning fiction as David Hirshberg. His newest novel "Crossing the Bronx" completes a trilogy that began with "My Mother's Son" and continued with "Jacobo's Rainbow." Price is living proof that rema
How Four Musicians Outwitted the KGB With a Secret Musical Code
How Four Musicians Outwitted the KGB With a Secret Musical Code Aug 15, 2026 00:37:28 In this episode of Now I've Heard Everything, host Bill Thompson interviews Merryl Goldberg (saxophonist, educator, and activist) and Vince Houghton (NSA Intelligence Historian and author) about their remarkable book, Notes of Deception. In 1985, four young American klezmer musicians from Boston traveled into the Soviet Union on tourist visas. Their covert goal: meet with refusniks—dissidents, act
The Myth of "Normal": A Neurodivergent Mom Championing Neurodivergent Kids
The Myth of "Normal": A Neurodivergent Mom Championing Neurodivergent Kids Aug 8, 2026 00:32:41 In this episode of *Now I've Heard Everything*, host Bill Thompson sits down with author, law professor, and creative writing instructor **Katie Rose Pryal** to discuss her book, *Your Kid Belongs Here: An Insider's Guide to Parenting Neurodiverse Children* (Johns Hopkins University Press). Drawing from her personal journey of growing up with undiagnosed ADHD and autism, as well as her experiences
The Secrets Behind Adassa's Success: Music, Miracles, and Faith
The Secrets Behind Adassa's Success: Music, Miracles, and Faith Aug 1, 2026 00:28:41 In this deeply inspiring episode, host Bill Thompson sits down with singer, songwriter, and voice actress Adassa (the voice of Dolores in Disney’s "Encanto") to discuss her memoir, "Love Keeps Showing Up: Music, Miracle and Messes."Adassa shares her journey through the high-stakes music industry, starting from her childhood performing in Honduras and receiving a record deal at age 17, to facing se
A Remarkable Life on a Fault Line
A Remarkable Life on a Fault Line Jul 25, 2026 00:25:17 In this deeply honest and moving conversation, host Bill Thompson sits down with Tim Smith, author of the memoir *Fault Line Still Standing*. Tim opens up about his childhood marked by extreme instability—including being kidnapped by his mother at under six years old, experiencing neglect, and navigating trauma. Tim shares how he confronted buried memories during therapy to write a memoir defined
Halfway Homeless, Fully Healed: Reflecting on 20 Years of "Girlbomb" With Author Janice Erlbaum
Halfway Homeless, Fully Healed: Reflecting on 20 Years of "Girlbomb" With Author Janice Erlbaum Jul 17, 2026 00:29:34 n this episode host Bill Thompson sits down with author, poet, and writing coach Janice Erlbaum to celebrate the 20th anniversary of her groundbreaking memoir, *Girl Bomb: A Halfway Homeless Memoir*. Janice opens up about what it means to be "halfway homeless" as a teenager in 1980s New York City, navigating shelters like Covenant House, group homes, and public school while keeping meticulous diar
The power of Education saved his life
The power of Education saved his life Jul 10, 2026 00:33:59 In this episode, host Bill Thompson sits down with Dr. Pius Kamau, a surgeon, author, and human rights advocate, to discuss his powerful new memoir, *Running with Lions*. Growing up in Kenya under the shadow of British colonialism and the violent Mau Mau uprising, Dr. Kamau’s future was entirely uncertain. Yet, fueled by his father's unwavering belief that education was his "northern star," he onc
When the Doctor Needed Her Own Advice
When the Doctor Needed Her Own Advice Jul 3, 2026 00:31:21 In this episode of *Now I've Heard Everything*, host Bill Thompson sits down with Dr. Durga Larkin, MD, an ophthalmologist and author of the new book *Timeless Vision: Empowered Aging Redefined*. Dr. Larkin shares how her decades-long career as an eye surgeon inspired her to view aging not as a structural decline or a narrowing field of view, but as a profound opportunity for inner growth and rein
Anne Frank: The Writer Behind the Icon
Anne Frank: The Writer Behind the Icon Jun 28, 2026 00:23:55 In this episode of *Now I've Heard Everything*, host Bill Thompson sits down with biographer and author Ruth Franklin to discuss her book, *The Many Lives of Anne Frank*. Far from a simple biography, Franklin’s work takes a kaleidoscopic approach to one of history’s most famous figures, examining how Anne Frank has been transformed into a global icon and co-opted by various groups to fit different

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