Audacious with Chion Wolf

When you know you’re months, maybe weeks away from your own death, what do you most want people to know? As the first in a series of conversations with people near the end of their lives, we get to know David Meyers. He was a physician who was diagnosed with glioblastoma in 2018. He died on July 2nd, 2023. Hear his reflections on life, love, and what really matters. An extended version of this con...

When you imagine an umpire, a chess arbiter, or a boxing referee… Do you picture women? Today, you'll hear stories from three women in the sports world who are thriving in those particular positions of power. GUESTS:  Kristi Howard:  11-year veteran softball umpire in Mississippi. After getting punched in the face by an angry parent, she is advocating for laws to classify assaults against umpires...

Imagine you found out when you were a teen that your father was not your biological father. That is what happened to both of our guests on this episode of Audacious. One woman, Eve, then found out that her biological father was not the sperm donor her parents chose, but their fertility doctor. This is called “fertility fraud“. It is only illegal in 12 states (not including Connecticut), and not at...

When you think of the word, "Psychopath", what do you picture? A serial killer? A dictator? A cut-throat CEO? Your ex? Sure, a few of those folks may be psychopaths. But many people with this mental health condition would argue that the usual stereotypes are way off. They are incapable of feeling empathy or developing any attachments, but that doesn't mean they are compelled to cause harm. Today,...

Hey there! This is the VERY much extended conversation that Chion had with the writer Athena Walker . She's got over 40,000 followers on Quora , where she talks about what it's like being a clinically diagnosed psychopath. Please do check out the original episode posted just before this one, which also includes our conversation with Dr. James H Fallon. He's a neuroscientist studying psychopathic k...

When Shannon Litchfield’s 11 year-old son, Cameron, was losing weight and feeling sick, she took him to the emergency room. The x-ray they saw showed magnets, screws, and yarn in his stomach. We’ll explore the eating disorder known as Pica, where people are drawn to eating objects. A researcher talks about her findings after completing a research study with 600 parents of young children, and meet...

Do pathological liars always believe the stories they tell? What does it take for them to see the patterns behind their lies? And what does honesty sound like from someone who has spent most of their lives making things up? Two people talk about what it’s like to learn to tell the truth, and a researcher on deception shares how you can most effectively spot a lie. Special thanks to Ellen Barry for...

Almost 1000 people have won Nobel Prizes. But only 300 have won IG Nobel Prizes! That’s the award honoring achievements that first make people laugh, and then make them think. In this episode, meet the creator of the prize, and three people who’ve won it! GUESTS:  Marc Abrahams :  Founder of the Ig Nobel Prize Ceremony in 1991, celebrating achievements that “make you laugh and then think”. He is a...

What makes a man who grew up in the American south suddenly sound like he has a British accent? Hear from Kenley Byrd, who’s had this accent since he had a mini-stroke thirteen years ago. He is one of fewer than 100 known people in history to have Foreign Accent Syndrome. And find out what we know - and what we don’t know - about this extremely rare condition. GUESTS:  Professor Jack Ryalls: Profe...

Imagine if everything you heard - a door clicking shut, a passing car, dishes being put away, even your own voice - was excruciatingly loud. Hear how one man copes with hyperacusis. And a flute player talks about how she managed her hyperhidrosis - or extreme sweating - when she was playing Carnegie Hall and in everyday life. Listen to the extended conversation with David Vance with closed caption...

When you imagine an emotional support animal, what comes to mind? A dog? Well how about a pigeon? A sugar glider? Or an emotional support pig? Meet people who’ve paired up with these animals to make their lives - and mental health conditions - better. GUESTS:  Cynthia Zhou : Miu was her emotional support pigeon from 2016 to 2021. She is an advocate for  Palomacy Pigeon and Dove Adoptions  based ou...

Nietzsche once said, “It is what one takes into solitude that grows there, the beast within included.” This episode features three people who experienced solitude: by choice and not. There’s a winter caretaker at Yellowstone, a runner-up from the History Channel show, Alone, and you'll hear from a Connecticut man who spent almost 30 years in solitary confinement. GUESTS:  Callie Russell :  Contest...

When people imagine becoming parents, they don’t often envision their child being born with a condition that requires lifetime care. Hear reflections and wisdom from “forever parents” whose children have autism with anxiety and OCD; a disorder that caused 100 seizures a day; and Down Syndrome. GUESTS:  Carrie Carriello :  Mother of five children, including 18 year-old Jack, who has Autism, OCD, an...

Hey, kids! Did you know there are grown ups who are just as obsessed with Disney as you? There's an adult out there who has full-sleeve tattoos of Disney characters, another who’s spent tens of thousands of dollars on merch, and one guy even set a world record for visiting Disneyland for almost 3,000 days in a row! Those are just some of the Disney adults you’ll meet on today’s show. GUESTS:  Eric...

Ah, Craigslist’s Missed Connections. Where else can you find that attractive guy you saw at that concert? Or the lady in the laundromat who held your gaze? Or reconnect with your long lost hairstylist?   Hear those stories, plus what a researcher learned from studying over 10,000 posts. And what does it sound like when two Tony-nominated songwriters take Missed Connection posts and turn them into...

Olusanya Bey is many things, but he's best known as a “love poet." But that title comes after much deep, philosophical pondering: What does writing about love do for - and to - him? Must he have a tangible muse? And how does a love of self affect love for others? Hear Olusanya Bey in Chion’s backyard for this third installment of a series of conversations with poets around a fire. Listen to the fi...

Imagine you’re at the beach, taking in the scenery, breathing in the fresh ocean air, when the sun hits something floating in the water just right… It’s a bottle! With a message inside that looks totally intact! Meet people who’ve found - and gotten back - their messages in bottles, and hear about one that was thrown from the Titanic. GUESTS:  Stefanie Marco Lantz , Lana & Tommy Simmons: The S...

When we talk about people getting struck by lightning, we don’t often think, “wait, what does that really do to a person?” A lightning strike expert talks about the physical and psychological effects of lightning hitting the human body, and tells us exactly what to do when a storm is coming. Then, meet one woman whose personality and body changed forever, and one man who, after his near-death expe...

In 2000, Sigrid Wade began writing to people on death row to express her solidarity against that kind of punishment; she never thought she’d end up marrying one of them and having a child. But that’s exactly what happened between her and Alan Wade. Meet a sociologist who studies relationships like theirs, and hear directly from Sigrid and Alan about love, family, worthiness, and trust. GUESTS:  Me...

When you know you’re months, maybe weeks away from your own death, what do you most want people to know? As the first in a series of conversations with people near the end of their lives, we get to know David Meyers. He’s a physician who was diagnosed with glioblastoma in 2018. Hear his reflections on life, love, and what really matters. An extended version of this conversation is available in you...

This is a special extended version of my conversation with Dr. David Meyers. After five years of living with glioblastoma, a brain tumor, he is nearing the end of his life. He talks about what matters most to him, gives advice for those of us who aren't so willing to ponder death deeply, and shares how he wants to be remembered. Support the show: https://www.wnpr.org/donate See omnystudio.com/list...

What if, for as long as you can remember, you’ve strongly felt as though one of your healthy limbs just doesn't belong? You’ve always wished it could be amputated. You aren’t the only person with this feeling, but you would be one of fewer than 400 documented cases of body integrity dysphoria (BID) or body integrity identity disorder (BIID) in the world. Meet a man with BID, who, after years of st...

Beatboxing is so cool! Not only do you have portable access to a full drum set, but also to trumpets, guitars, turntables, and whatever else your body can imitate! It’s a fine art that is fully embodied. Meet three beatboxers: One of the first on the scene to develop the craft, another who uses it to connect to herself and the rest of the world, and one 12 year-old who is making waves on beatbox c...

All children are special. All twins are special! And these twins are especially… special! On this episode, meet twins who: -Were conceived 30 years ago and only born last year -Were born on each side of the millennium -Survived separation surgery in 2004 -Are, at six years old, still conjoined at the sternum GUESTS:  Rachel and Philip Ridgeway:  Parents to twins from embryos frozen 30 years ago. L...

Last time, we did an episode about dominants in the world of BDSM and kink , and now? It’s time for the submissives to take center-stage. Learn the difference between “submissive” and “slave”, and four people’s interpretations of what it means to obey, serve, and play. GUESTS:  Kate Kinsey :  Author of   How to be a Healthy and Happy Submissive: A Practical Guide to Making Your Fantasies a Reality...