Kelly Corrigan Wonders

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 great work, what constraints actually do for creativity, and why making a place — a bookstore, a basketball court in Tanzania, a downtown in a town of 9,000 — might be the most powerful creative act of all. This episode was made possible by a grant from the Walton Family Foundation. To learn more, please visit: waltonfamilyfoundation.org. 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

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. Someone finally said it out loud: when we come in here, we want to be the way we used to be: positive, considerate, patient and caring. Janice went looking for a way to keep giving — what she found was that the secret to volunteering is that you always get more than you give. 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

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 novel, A Kid From Marlboro Road, Eddie joined us in studio to talk about childhood, parenthood and grief. (Previously aired) 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 consider making a donation ⁠⁠here⁠⁠. https://everymothercounts.org/donate 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 — or sign up for our weekly list of takeaways: hello@kellycorrigan.com . Check out our other episodes from the About Your Mother series: Jennifer Garner, Amy Schumer, Bono, Cindy Crawford, Spike Lee, Melinda Gates 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

Before there were algorithms and tape submissions and studio approved lists, Allison Jones was sitting in the back rows of comedy clubs — memorizing faces, taking notes, and developing the kind of taste that can't be taught. In the second episode of our Wired to Create series, Kelly sits down with the casting director whose fingerprints are on some of the most beloved comedies ever made — from Freaks and Geeks to Bridesmaids to Barbie — to talk about what she's really looking for when someone walks into the room, why "funny or not funny" is still her most reliable compass, and what gets lost when studio oversight starts to crowd out pure creative instinct. This episode was made possible by a grant from the Walton Family Foundation. To learn more, please visit: waltonfamilyfoundation.org. Allison and Kelly mention writer/director/producer Judd Apatow in this episode. To learn more about Judd, please check out Kelly's previous interview with him HERE. https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/going-deep-with-judd-apatow-on-women-collaboration-and/id1532951390?i=1000668137267 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 listener named Jane Curran was coming in the door from her morning walk when she got the call that her sister had been airlifted to the hospital. She fell to the floor. Her 22-year-old daughter Jessica — a brand new nursing school graduate — took one look at her mother and quietly took over. This is a letter about what it looks like when a child becomes exactly who you hoped they would be, right when you need it the most. 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

Amy Schumer is as sharp a writer as she is a performer. I love her always-on-point work in Life & Beth, Trainwreck and all 44 episodes of Inside Amy Schumer. She's honest in way I wish more people were and you'll hear that in this candid conversation about her mother, Sandra. (Previously aired) Please consider supporting maternal health in 9 countries through Every Mother Counts, founded in 2010 and led every day since by Christy Turlington Burns. You can make a donation here. https://everymothercounts.org/donate 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

Ed Helms has a well-organized workshop, a banjo, a treehouse he built during the pandemic, and a deeply inconvenient habit of doing his best work at the last possible second. In the first episode of our new series Wired to Create, Kelly sits down with the actor, comedian, musician, and all-around maker to talk about what flow actually feels like, why limitations might be the secret ingredient in all great creative work, and what Owen Wilson taught him about feedback and being vulnerable. This episode was made possible by a grant from the Walton Family Foundation. To learn more, please visit: waltonfamilyfoundation.org. For those who have listened to this podcast and are curious: the correct, traditional term used is nunchaku (Japanese: ヌンチャク), but in English, nunchucks is the most common accepted spelling and pronunciation, often pluralized as "set of nunchucks". ( Merriam-Webster) 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

As part of our Women of Consequence series, Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Jane Perlez writes a letter honoring a woman she watched from a distance as a child — a writer who sat on a balcony overlooking a river, filling up legal pads in a curvy scroll, and showed a young girl what one person could accomplish when they refused to be defined by others. Some influences arrive early and never leave. This episode has been made possible by a grant from Ingeborg Initiatives, a social impact platform dedicated to improving maternal health and making it easier to raise a family. To learn more, please visit: ingeborginitiatives.com https://www.ingeborginitiatives.com/ 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

Over the past month, Kelly sat down with five women who are quietly — and not so quietly — changing the world: an entrepreneur, an Olympic champion, a philanthropist, a governor, and a film/television producer. What she found wasn't a set of tidy leadership lessons or a checklist for getting things done. It was something harder to name and more useful to carry — a pattern of thinking that shows up again and again in the people who actually move things forward. This Go To is Kelly's attempt to distill what she learned across all five conversations into a handful of truths worth keeping. Not theory. Not empty inspiration. Just the real stuff, from women who have been in the room and know what it takes to make change happen. This episode has been made possible by a grant from Ingeborg Initiatives, a social impact platform dedicated to improving maternal health and making it easier to raise a family. To learn more, please visit: ingeborginitiatives.com. 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

Reese Witherspoon has built an empire by betting on one simple truth: when you put women in charge of telling stories, you uncover whole themes that get missed when men are calling the shots—and it turns out to be wildly entertaining. In this fifth and final episode of our Women of Consequence series, Kelly sits down with the actress, producer, and founder of the media company Hello Sunshine, to talk about why she developed the Wild screenplay outside the studio system, what happens when women control the buying power, and why her ultimate goal is to make a lot of women a lot of money. This episode has been made possible by a grant from Ingeborg Initiatives, a social impact platform dedicated to improving maternal health and making it easier to raise a family. To learn more, please visit: ingeborginitiatives.com. 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

As part of our Women of Consequence series, Kelly sits down with podcaster and author Nora McInerny, who says without hesitation that her life is the product of women. The woman at the center of it all is her grandmother Mary Jane — a ceramicist who lived alone in a one-room cabin in the Minnesota woods, went back to college in her eighties, and moved through the world with a kind of fearless delight that rubbed off on everyone lucky enough to be around her. Nora lost her husband Aaron and her father within weeks of each other, and when the world fell apart, it was Mary Jane she thought of — a woman who had buried two of her own children and still showed up wildly in love with life. This episode has been made possible by a grant from Ingeborg Initiatives, a social impact platform dedicated to improving maternal health and making it easier to raise a family. To learn more, please visit: ingeborginitiatives.com 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

For 16 years, advocates in New Mexico asked for a constitutional amendment to fund pre-K, and for 16 years the answer was no. Then Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham asked a different question: "If we can't agree on a constitutional amendment, what could we agree on?" The senator appropriated $320 million on the spot. Kelly reflects on what she learned from the governor about why the question you ask determines the answer you get and how to find the place where someone can say yes and build from there—because 16 years is a long time to push on a locked door when there's an open door right next to it. This episode has been made possible by a grant from Ingeborg Initiatives, a social impact platform dedicated to improving maternal health and making it easier to raise a family. To learn more, please visit: ingeborginitiatives.com⁠ 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

Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham once dyed her hair red, said goodbye to her husband, and went undercover in a nursing home to expose the neglect that no one else was willing to see—much less work to change. That's who she is. She grew up watching her parents navigate an impossible road for her disabled sister — no roadmap, no safety net, no one coming to help — and she has never forgotten what it feels like to be out there alone fighting a system that isn't built for you. She went on to become a two-term governor who moved New Mexico from 50th in childhood poverty to 17th, made it the first state in the nation to offer universal childcare, and launched free college for every resident. Those wins matter enormously but what Kelly really wanted to dig into was how she got there— and what she found was a leader who owns her impatience like a superpower and knows that asking the right question can unlock everything. This episode has been made possible by a grant from Ingeborg Initiatives, a social impact platform dedicated to improving maternal health and making it easier to raise a family. To learn more, please visit: ingeborginitiatives.com 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

As part of our Women of Consequence series, journalist Poppy Harlow sits down with Kelly to read a letter she wrote to her mother Mary, who is turning 80. There is so much in this letter — the leap to Sweden, the PhD, the art museum trips — but what stops you cold is the part about what Mary did when the love of her life died and her children still needed dinner on the table and someone to say it was all going to be okay. That's the one. That's the woman worth knowing more about. Here's to Mary Harlow, and to all the moms who hold it together long after they've earned the right to fall apart. This episode has been made possible by a grant from Ingeborg Initiatives, a social impact platform dedicated to improving maternal health and making it easier to raise a family. To learn more, please visit: ingeborginitiatives.com https://www.ingeborginitiatives.com/ 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

There's a problem with leading with your heart: empathy doesn't scale. One sick child and we open our wallets. A thousand sick children and we change the channel. Behavioral psychologist Paul Slovic has spent years studying this—the more people suffering, the less we feel. Kelly reflects on her conversation with investor and philanthropist Olivia Walton, who figured out how to beat compassion fade by doing something smarter than making the moral case for maternal health. She built a business case: for every dollar you invest in maternal health, you get eleven back. It's about understanding that empathy burns hot and burns out, but when you make the business case, you've built a diesel engine—it just keeps running. This episode has been made possible by a grant from Ingeborg Initiatives, a social impact platform dedicated to improving maternal health and making it easier to raise a family. To learn more, please visit: ⁠https://www.ingeborginitiatives.com⁠. 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

Ever wonder “What should I actually do with my life?” Today we're excited to introduce you to Suzy Welch. As a three-time New York Times bestselling author and the professor behind NYU's wildly popular "Becoming You" class, Suzy has spent years studying the art of decision-making and the pursuit of authentic purpose. On her podcast, Becoming You, Suzy helps you find your authentic purpose in this messy, scary, and altogether beautiful world we share. Find Becoming You with Suzy Welch wherever you get your podcasts. 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

Olivia Walton went from asking questions as a business journalist to creating solutions as a philanthropist—and she's learned that the best way to fix maternal healthcare in America isn't just a moral argument, it's an economic one. In this third episode of our Women of Consequence series, Kelly sits down with the founder and CEO of Ingeborg Investments and Ingeborg Initiatives, chair of Crystal Bridges Museum and maternal health advocate to talk about why storytelling is the through line of everything she does. It's about understanding that maternal health isn't just about moms—it's the groundwater for thriving families, communities, and economies. This episode was made possible by a grant from Ingeborg Initiatives, a social impact platform dedicated to improving maternal health and making it easier to raise a family. To learn more, please visit: ⁠https://www.ingeborginitiatives.com⁠. Olivia Walton recently wrote an op-ed in the Arkansas Democrat Gazette and in it she announced a moonshot call-to-action for maternal health: a five-year sprint to cut U.S. maternal mortality in half. At a time when far too many mothers in the United States are dying from preventable causes, we believe meaningful progress will require urgency, collaboration, and a willingness to scale what works. We hope you'll take a moment to read Olivia's op-ed HERE. https://www.arkansasonline.com/news/2026/mar/11/opinion-olivia-walton-a-five-year-sprint-to-cut-us-maternal-mortality-in-half/ 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

Most of us are still waiting for that one perfect mentor to appear and show us the way. Podcaster Liz Moody decided to stop waiting and start sending emails to strangers instead. The result was a room full of powerful women comparing notes on things nobody talks about out loud, and a philosophy that might just change who you invite into your corner. In this special Thanks For Being Here episode—part of our March Women of Consequence series— Kelly and Liz talk about why the group you're craving probably won't build itself, what happens when women stop holding their cards to their chests, and the one rule Liz lives by that has gotten her a book deal, a husband, and a thriving career: never be the one to say no to yourself. This episode has been made possible by a grant from Ingeborg Initiatives, a social impact platform dedicated to improving maternal health and making it easier to raise a family. To learn more, please visit: https://www.ingeborginitiatives.com⁠ 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

We carry around this dangerous myth that brave people feel brave—that somewhere out there, women are standing up in meetings and saying the hard thing without their heart rate changing, that courage is a feeling you either have or don't have. Kelly blows up that whole idea by sharing what she learned from her conversation with Olympian Allyson Felix: when Allyson hit send on the New York Times op-ed that would take on Nike and change their maternity policy, she was shaking. There was never a moment she felt ready, never a moment she wasn't scared. It's about understanding that courage isn't a feeling or a personality trait—it's what you do in the moment between knowing what you need to say and saying it. This episode has been made possible by a grant from Ingeborg Initiatives, a social impact platform dedicated to improving maternal health and making it easier to raise a family. To learn more, please visit: ingeborginitiatives.com". 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

Allyson Felix has 11 Olympic medals, which makes her the most decorated American track and field athlete in history. But here's the thing—most people know her name because of what happened when she got pregnant. After nearly a decade with her sponsor Nike, they offered her a new contract at 70% less than her previous salary. And when she asked for one thing—protected time to recover from childbirth without performance penalties—they said they wouldn't set that precedent for all female athletes. So, Allyson sat in her daughter's NICU room, watched her tiny baby fighting to come home, and decided to risk everything by going public. In this second episode of our Women of Consequence series, Kelly talks with Allyson about integrity, knowing your worth, and understanding that sometimes you speak up not for yourself but so the next woman doesn't have to fight the same battle. This episode has been made possible by a grant from Ingeborg Initiatives, a social impact platform dedicated to improving maternal health and making it easier to raise a family. To learn more, please visit: ⁠https://www.ingeborginitiatives.com⁠ Link to Allyson's New York Times article. https://www.nytimes.com/2019/05/22/opinion/allyson-felix-pregnancy-nike.html Check out our episode with Linda Villarosa which Kelly mentions in this podcast. https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/going-deep-with-linda-villarosa-on-being-seen/id1532951390?i=1000633982048 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

Writer Anne Lamott tells Kelly about the "other mother" from her childhood—her best friend's mom who thought she was fabulous when her own parents had concerns. It's about the gratitude you carry for the rest of your life when someone champions the parts of you that feel unseen and how those other mothers—the ones who celebrated instead of shaped—end up changing who we become. This episode has been made possible by a grant from Ingeborg Initiatives, a social impact platform dedicated to improving maternal health and making it easier to raise a family. To learn more, please visit: https://www.ingeborginitiatives.com Link to live Zoom event with Kelly and Anne (March 11, 2026 7pm ET/4pm PT): https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/R5kpMFa1RfiCJtlV7WsGZA?cmid=cb7fa38f-b413-4923-890e-d8c91450e2fb#/registration Anne's event which Kelly mentioned at the top of the show is Unscripted: Good Writing – An Evening with Anne Lamott & Neal Allen, at the Curran Theater in San Francisco (March 17, 2026 7pm) https://us.atgtickets.com/events/anne-lamott-neal-allen/curran-theater/ 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

Kelly reflects on a moment from Tuesday's conversation with Laura Modi, founder of the infant formula company Bobbie, who had 48 hours to decide whether to take on thousands of desperate new parents during the 2022 formula shortage or stand by her current customers. Laura went against every growth model and turned the new customers away to protect those who already trusted her—not because of data provided in a spreadsheet or advice from consultants but because she trusted what she knew in her bones.  This episode was made possible by a grant from Ingeborg Initiatives, a social impact platform dedicated to improving maternal health and making it easier to raise a family. To learn more, please visit ingeborginitiatives.com . 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

Laura Modi had mastitis five days into motherhood— blistered and bleeding, fever raging—and when she finally turned to formula, she discovered the first ingredient was corn syrup. So, she did what any sleep-deprived new mom would do: she went down a 2 AM research rabbit hole and emerged determined to change an entire industry. In this first episode of our Women of Consequence series, Kelly talks with the co-founder and CEO of infant formula brand Bobbie about what happened during the 2022 formula shortage when she had 48 hours to decide between chasing growth or serving existing customer—and why she raised $70 million to buy a manufacturing facility even though less than 5% of manufacturers in this country are run by women. This is a story about being underestimated, trusting lived experience over spreadsheets, and understanding that when you're not just the CEO but also the customer, you're dangerous in the best possible way. This episode has been made possible by a grant from Ingeborg Initiatives, a social impact platform dedicated to improving maternal health and making it easier to raise a family. To learn more, please visit: ingeborginitiatives.com.  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

Newly appointed Judge Kristine Burk's investiture ceremony became unexpectedly tender when her 19-year-old son Tyler took the podium. Moving beyond the usual formal speeches, Tyler crafted an acrostic poem for "JUDGE" that revealed the everyday magic of his mom - from her unshakeable belief in second chances, to her instinct for helping strangers in need, to the joyful warmth she radiates to everyone around her. (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

You may be familiar with this woman: she wakes up before anyone else, eats standing up, clears the dishes first—and if you told her she was good, she'd believe you, because all of that not resting, not asking, not taking up room, is what goodness looks like—doesn't it? Kelly digs into research showing that the behavior we reward in women—being accommodating, putting others first, never stopping—is actually a clinical risk factor for depression. This episode takes a close look at why many of us are so busy being good that we forget to be whole and the quiet cost of following rules we never actually agreed to. Check out Elise Loehnen's book On Our Best Behavior: The Price Women Pay to Be Good https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/673282/on-our-best-behavior-by-elise-loehnen/ Elise's workbook, co-written with Courtney Smith is Choosing Wholeness Over Goodness: A Process for Reclaiming Your Full Self https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/771811/choosing-wholeness-over-goodness-by-elise-loehnen-and-courtney-smith/ 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

Kelly sits down with Enneagram coach Courtney Smith, co-author (with Elise Loehnen) of the workbook Choosing Wholeness Over Goodness, to explore the cultural scripts women inherit about how we're supposed to be—and what happens when we start questioning them. They talk about why taking responsibility feels both terrifying and liberating, the difference between being stuck and choosing agency, and how fear keeps us playing roles that don't serve us. It's about the courage it takes to face what you've been avoiding, the surprising freedom that comes from talking back to yourself, and why wholeness might be worth risking everything you thought kept you safe. 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

Karen Frost held hands with a stranger named Frank at a U2 concert in Chicago—a man she sensed didn't have much time left. They didn't exchange contact information, but she knew what they shared was a soul connection forged through music. Years later, when she faced a cancer diagnosis and began guided imagery to prepare for radiation, something unexpected happened. It's a story about the fleeting connections that never really leave, the mysterious ways people return to us when we need them most, and how someone you barely knew can become exactly what saves you. If you have a story to share, thoughts or feedback, please reach out any time: hello@kellycorrigan.com 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 if the most powerful response to tragedy isn't professional intervention, but something much simpler and closer to home? Kelly weaves together a George Eliot quote about unhistoric acts, a newsletter from psychiatrist Dr. Samantha Boardman, and decades of research on community resilience to explore a surprising truth: after crisis, your friends and family aren't just holding you until you can get to a therapist—they are the therapy. It's about how natural support systems activate faster and reach more people than formal interventions, why being noticed matters more than we realize, and the quiet power of ordinary people showing up in extraordinary ways. 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

Quick afternoon nap? Gummies before bed? Hitting snooze? Here's a thorough look at how to get our sleep right with one of the world's most informed sleep experts: Dr. Matthew Walker. Why? Sleep is our super power. Put less positively, poor sleep maps terribly closely to poor mental health. Joining me for the conversation are previous guests and friends of the show cognitive scientist and podcaster Maya Shankar, and comedian/producer W Kamau Bell. (Previously aired) Many thanks to COOP for making the best pillows and sheets to help us get a really solid night's sleep and for sponsoring this episode. You can watch this conversation anytime at www.pbs.org/kelly or stream on the PBS app. 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

Sometimes kids just know things. Molly Merrihew's almost-three-year-old daughter Cecelia asks out of nowhere, "Why did Caitlin die in February?" while standing on a kitchen chair, her aunt's senior photo mixed in with the daily clutter of mail and coffee mugs. Molly realizes her daughter has picked up on the rhythm of grief, the way February carries both celebration and loss—Cecilia's birthday falls just a week after the anniversary of her aunt's death. It's about how children watch us more closely than we think, how they call us back when we drift away, and how the people we've lost keep showing up in our lives, present and gone at the same time. 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

Kelly and Tammy explore Pixar's WALL-E, a film that dares to say almost nothing for the first forty minutes—and somehow says everything about curiosity, connection, and what it means to be alive. They talk about how the filmmakers watched silent films for months to learn how emotions work without dialogue, why a frictionless life is enfeebling, and what a lonely robot can teach us about slowing down and looking closer. It's about the magic of noticing small things and why the films WALL-E and Her both arrive at the same moral: meaningful connection is what saves us. This Go To is supported by a grant from the John Templeton Foundation. To learn more, please visit: templeton.org. Check out our previous episode with Pixar's Pete Docter: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/deep-dive-with-pixars-pete-docter-on-making/id1532951390?i=1000698705898 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 if the antidote to our frenzied, overscheduled lives isn't found in distant places or grand revelations, but in the radical act of paying attention? Writer Pico Iyer—who famously traded a corner office in Manhattan for a single room in Japan with no bed, no phone, and no distractions —sits down with Kelly to explore the art of staying curious in an age of constant noise. They wander through ideas about beginner's mind, the tyranny of busyness, and why sometimes the most luxurious thing we can do is nothing at all. Along the way, they discover that wonder is something we awaken by noticing what's already here, hidden in plain sight, just waiting for us to look up from our phones and see. This episode and our entire Super Traits series was made possible by a grant from the John Templeton Foundation. To learn more, please visit: templeton.org. Recorded at The Aspen Ideas Festival. 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

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, and never missing an opportunity for dessert or— pyrotechnics. It's about the quiet ways we shape the people we love, and how the best parts of who we become are often learned by watching someone live with generosity, courage, and joy. 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 happens when a filmmaker refuses to judge his characters and just keeps asking "and then what would happen?" Kelly and Tammy dive into Spike Jonze's Her, a film made in 2013 that somehow predicted our current moment of AI engagement with unsettling precision. They wander through questions about embodiment and consciousness, the dangerous beauty of unchecked curiosity, and why conviction kills creativity before it can bloom. This Go To episode is supported by a grant from the John Templeton Foundation. To learn more, please visit: https://www.templeton.org/ 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

Kelly sits down with visionary neuroscientist Gül Dölen—who FedExed seven octopuses to her lab and dosed them with MDMA to understand how brains learn—and to explore what happens when you let wonder lead the way. Gül explains that our brains have windows when they're wide open to learning, that those windows known as "critical periods" close—and more importantly, how we might crack them back open. She and Kelly discuss why pure curiosity, the kind with no practical application in sight, has always been the source of our most important discoveries, and why deprivation and mystical joy might be two paths to the same place. Gül makes the case that there's magic everywhere if you're willing to see the physical world as miraculous, and that lasting change comes not from a pill but from what you learn while your mind is open. Note: This episode discusses neuroscience research on psychedelics, including MDMA. All references are to controlled scientific studies, not recreational use. This episode was made possible by a grant from the John Templeton Foundation. To learn more, please visit ⁠www.templeton.org⁠. Recorded at the Aspen Ideas Festival. 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

Sometimes the most powerful thing a doctor can do has nothing to do with medicine. Kelly reads a listener letter from Ellen Versprille, who lost her mother, her husband, and her sister-in-law in the span of just weeks—and then one freezing January night, heard a knock at her door that changed everything. It's a story about what it means to truly show up for someone, and why the moments that sustain us are almost never the ones we planned. 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

Kelly and Tammy explore creativity through La La Land, a film that uses color like a second language and turns a highway traffic jam into magic. Tammy reflects on her own journey trying to make it in LA and why the film's authenticity around creative pursuit never fails to wreck her, while Kelly considers the deep self-belief required to chase any dream and the humiliation baked into trying. They talk about what happens when two people are more committed to their art than to each other, how the end of the film refuses to give us what we think we want, and why watching people struggle toward something they might not ever achieve is somehow the most relatable thing in the world. This episode was made possible by a grant from the John Templeton Foundation. To learn more, please visit: templeton.org 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 the 4th episode of our Super Traits series, Kelly sits down with her favorite writer George Saunders—author of 12 books including Lincoln in the Bardo and his latest novel Vigil—to explore creativity as a practice of staying open. They talk about how precise language changes the way we receive the world, why specificity lowers reactivity, and what it means that neurologically speaking, we're always writing and revising. George reflects on empathy as a gateway to creativity, why foreclosure is death to the creative process, and the dream of repair—which might be the whole job of fiction. He also shares why he never decides what his books mean before he writes them and why he considers constraints to be essential. This episode was made possible by a grant from the John Templeton Foundation. To learn more, visit www.templeton.org. 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

Tracy Hargen shares the story of the night her son Will came to her during his junior year of high school to say he'd been struggling with depression for over a year—and she had no idea. She reflects on what teenage depression actually looks like, how different it can be from what parents expect, and the critical moment when her son asked for help. It's about creating space for the hardest conversations, learning to listen for what isn't being said, and the bravery it takes to ask: "Mom, can we talk?". Content note: This episode includes discussions of suicide and mental health struggles. If you or someone you know is struggling, help is available. In the US, call or text 988 to reach the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline 24/7. David Begnaud of CBS Mornings will be airing a piece about Tracy, her son Will and the teacher who was so helpful to them on Monday, January 26th, 2026 in the 8am hour as a part of the "Beg-Knows America" segment. Tracy and Will created a poignant song based on their story - click here to listen: https://linktr.ee/TracyHargen 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

This week's Go To is another film discussion between Kelly and Tammy, this time exploring creativity through Wes Anderson's The Grand Budapest Hotel. They break down what makes the film a masterclass in creative choices: the strict candy-store palette, the impeccable production design/hair/makeup and the intentional postures and snappy pacing from the actors. Kelly reflects on what it takes to hold the line on daring creative choices and why collaboration that comes too early can make something special become ordinary. It's about trusting your audience, the miracle of hundreds of people doing their jobs superbly at once, and proof that radical creativity can also be commercially successful. This Go To is supported by a grant from the John Templeton Foundation. To learn more, visit: templeton.org. 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

Kelly sits down with theoretical physicist Brian Greene—who might seem like an unusual choice for a conversation about creativity until you learn he's turned the general theory of relativity into theater that makes people cry. They explore what it means to translate the mysteries of the universe into stories that move us, why Brian doesn't believe in free will, and how collections of particles governed by physical law can paint masterpieces and feel transcendent joy. Brian reflects on going from a laser-focused college student who only wanted equations to someone teaching a course called "Origins and Meaning" with no equations at all, and why his father pushed him away from music even though he was a composer. It's about cosmic communion, auditory "cheesecake", and what happens when science gets stitched into the fabric of culture. This is the third episode in our Super Traits series. This episode was made possible by a grant from the John Templeton Foundation. To learn more, please visit: templeton.org Thank you to our friends at the Aspen Ideas Festival where this episode was recorded. 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

Cassia van der Hoof Holstein writes about her cousin Chris, "captain of the cousins" in a family where cousin love means always having a place to go, advice in any time zone, and guides through every storm. She reflects on planning a Passover feast with Chris in Hawaii, their endless conversations about everything and nothing, and how the phrase "blood is thicker than water" doesn't quite capture it—it's not just blood, it's love. Love through a hundred seders, a million text messages, sharing apartments and childcare and sometimes organs. It's about what home means, what gets transmitted and transmuted across generations, and the ocean of cousin love that sustained them both. 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

Kelly and Tammy continue their Friday movie tradition, this time exploring humility in The Pursuit of Happyness. They discuss the difference between humiliation—being forced down—and humility—choosing to stay grounded, and how Will Smith's character, Chris Gardener, retains his dignity while losing everything. They talk about being honest when you have every reason to lie, the fine line between owning your struggle without burdening others, and why showing your flaws almost never comes back to bite you the way we fear. This episode was made possible by a grant from the John Templeton Foundation. To learn more visit: www.templeton.org. 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

Kelly sits down with Father Greg Boyle, who has run Homeboy Industries in Los Angeles for nearly 40 years—the largest gang intervention program in the world. They explore humility not as the kind that makes you small, but the kind that sets you free. Father Greg reflects on burying 263 young people and why he keeps count, what happens when someone can't imagine tomorrow, and why gang membership is often a suicide mission in disguise. He talks about the difference between being other-centered and self-absorbed, why curiosity is the antidote to judgment, and how 90% of success is sheer dumb luck. It's about discovering that loving is your home, catching yourself before judgment takes over, and remembering that none of us are well until all of us are well. This is the second episode in a six-part series on super traits, supported by a generous grant from the John Templeton Foundation. To learn more about the John Templeton Foundation, visit: www.templeton.org. Special thanks to the team at the Aspen Ideas Festival where this episode was recorded. 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

Chris Duffy—standup comedian and author of Humor Me—writes a thank you letter to Gary, a 10-year-old "food critic" who changed his life. Gary was a fifth grader who hated writing until Chris offered him a column reviewing cafeteria food, and what followed was pure genius: hilarious reviews that brought Chris so much joy he still treasures the hard copies. Chris reflects on how Gary's reviews reminded him to laugh when he was taking himself way too seriously as a young teacher. Gary's goofiness eventually inspired Chris to embrace humor in all aspects of his life, ultimately becoming a professional comedian. Fourteen years later, Gary's an educator himself—helping kids who struggle in traditional school settings...and still trying to figure out what was actually in his vegetarian Hot Pocket. Check out Chris' book: Humor Me: How Laughing More Can Make You Present, Creative, Connected, and Happy https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/744561/humor-me-by-chris-duffy/ 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

Kelly and producer Tammy launch a new Friday tradition for the Super Traits series—breaking down movies that put the virtues of humility, creativity and curiosity on full display. This week, they revisit The King's Speech, exploring how Colin Firth's character must submit to help he doesn't want, from a person he'd normally never acknowledge, using methods that seem absurd. They discuss the different faces of humility in the film: a body that won't cooperate, a childhood that wasn't what it seemed, asking for help in front of people who might use it against you, and the vulnerability of being taught as an adult. It's about what happens when submission becomes the only way forward, and why watching someone get smaller might be the most satisfying thing a movie can show us. 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 does humility look like when you're standing at the absolute top? Kelly talks with Steve Kerr—nine-time NBA champion—about the tension between winning and perspective, the culture built on values most people wouldn't associate with dominance, and the contradiction at the heart of his best player, Steph Curry. They explore why we're drawn to watching people reach their peak, what coaches taught him that had nothing to do with basketball, and how loss shaped the way he leads. Steve also reflects on using his platform when staying quiet would be easier, what he's learning from the youngest people in the room, and why beginner's mind might be the most important practice of all. This is the first episode in a six-part series on super traits including humility curiosity and creativity, supported by a generous grant from the John Templeton Foundation. To learn more visit: www.templeton.org. 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

Beth Mason wrote this love letter to her sister Susan who, as the "in town" sibling, became their parents' default caregivers. Beth encourages us all to pass this along to anyone who's in the trenches doing the hard, essential work of caring for others. We see you - and we're so grateful. (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

What if your New Year's resolutions weren't about losing weight or getting organized, but about becoming more curious, humble, and creative? Kelly reflects on why these three traits matter and how they're connected—curiosity as genuinely wondering instead of rushing to conclusions, humility as recognizing there's always more to learn and some things we'll never understand, and creativity as problem-solving with whatever you have in front of you. It's about resolutions that actually lay the groundwork for better days, better relationships, and better work. Check out our new 6-part series called Super Traits, made possible by a grant from the John Templeton Foundation. The first episode airs Jan 6th, 2026 and is Kelly's interview with NBA coach Steve Kerr on the topic of humility . To learn more about the John Templeton Foundation and the work they do, please visit templeton.org. 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

Kelly and Kate Bowler return for the second half of their annual "Crappy/Happy" tradition—this time, the happy. They share the moments from 2025 that restored something, surprised them, or reminded them of what's important. 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

Karen Mulvaney writes about her father—a man who did cartwheels in a cornfield when her mother said "Yes!", who woke his kids with pots and pans at dawn so they could be first on the ski mountain, and who stood by his family through everything that came their way. She reflects on what defined his life: steadfastness, a welcoming heart, and the belief that showing up for others—family, friends, or strangers—is the key to everything. Even when grief and illness reduced him to a wisp of himself, he still showed up. It's about the kind of love that doesn't waver, the kind that makes everyone feel like they matter, and the way a big, wide-open heart lives on in the people left behind. 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