No Small Endeavor with Lee C. Camp

Will technology change what it means to be human? Thanks to the rise and implementation of Artificial Intelligence (AI), the common sci-fi trope of a machine-perpetuated apocalypse has taken on a new gravity in recent days. But is Chat GPT really going to rebel against humans, or even change things very much at all? “We're at the point where we do have technologies that are incredibly powerful,” s...

Five weeks before her 16th birthday in 1976, Amy Grant was offered her first record deal. Now, after tens of millions of record sales, six Grammy awards, a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, and a receipt of Kennedy Center Honors, she is widely recognized as the “Queen of Christian Pop.” From the outside, one might assume that Amy must be a character with a personality larger than life. But in th...

Five weeks before her 16th birthday in 1976, Amy Grant was offered her first record deal. Now, after tens of millions of record sales, six Grammy awards, a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, and a receipt of Kennedy Center Honors, she is widely recognized as the “Queen of Christian Pop.” From the outside, one might assume that Amy must be a character with a personality larger than life. But in th...

We’re excited to announce our new subscriber program NSE+, a $5/month subscription including a monthly bonus episode from Lee Camp, designed to give you practical steps based on the conversations we have on No Small Endeavor. PLUS, with a subscription you’ll receive ad-free listening and discounts to our live shows. This monthly bonus conversation between Lee Camp and producer, Jakob Lewis, highli...

This is our unabridged episode with Robert Waldinger and Marc Schulz. For all our modern so-called progress, global happiness levels have been consistently going down, especially in the richest and most developed countries. So what does it really take to be happy? Since 1938, Harvard scientists have been closely studying the lives of over 700 individuals to answer that very question. In this episo...

For all our modern so-called progress, global happiness levels have been consistently going down, especially in the richest and most developed countries. So what does it really take to be happy? Since 1938, Harvard scientists have been closely studying the lives of over 700 individuals to answer that very question. In this episode, two of the scientists who are now in charge of the study - Robert...

This is our unabridged episode with William Paul Young. At age 50, William Paul Young wrote the New York Times best-selling novel “The Shack” as a gift to his kids—only printing copies for his family and friends. Today, it has sold 25 million copies and been turned into a major motion picture. 11 years prior to writing “The Shack,” Paul’s wife discovered he was having an extra-marital affair. With...

At age 50, William Paul Young wrote the New York Times best-selling novel “The Shack” as a gift to his kids—only printing copies for his family and friends. Today, it has sold 25 million copies and been turned into a major motion picture. 11 years prior to writing “The Shack,” Paul’s wife discovered he was having an extra-marital affair. With nothing left to hide, he began a journey toward healing...

This is our unabridged interview with Esau McCaulley. What is it like growing up Black in the American South? The question is too particular to answer with abstraction. Instead, Esau McCaulley answers it in the most personal, humble way available, by telling the story of his family in his new memoir, “How Far to the Promised Land: One Black Family's Story of Hope and Survival in the American South...

What is it like growing up Black in the American South? The question is too particular to answer with abstraction. Instead, Esau McCaulley answers it in the most personal, humble way available, by telling the story of his family in his new memoir, “How Far to the Promised Land: One Black Family's Story of Hope and Survival in the American South.” When he was asked to give the eulogy at his father’...

This is our unabridged interview with Eddie Glaude. Why are there different narratives around race in the United States? Some believe that the US is a “shining city on a hill” which stands as a beacon of truth and justice in the world. But those paying attention to the country’s inner conflicts - most notably its violent, graphic history of deep-seated racism - sense some major contradictions in s...

Why are there different narratives around race in the United States? Some believe that the US is a “shining city on a hill” which stands as a beacon of truth and justice in the world. But those paying attention to the country’s inner conflicts - most notably its violent, graphic history of deep-seated racism - sense some major contradictions in such a narrative. To use the famous words of James Ba...

This is our unabridged interview with David Desteno. Does religion make you happier? These days, many of us are prone to see religion as an artifact of pre-scientific humanity, full of non-scientific claims. For that reason, religion often gets written off as having no measurable value for everyday life. But what if the so-called goods of religion could be studied? In his most recent book How God...

Does religion make you happier? These days, many of us are prone to see religion as an artifact of pre-scientific humanity, full of non-scientific claims. For that reason, religion often gets written off as having no measurable value for everyday life. But what if the so-called goods of religion could be studied? In his most recent book How God Works, psychologist David DeSteno, suggests that reli...

This is our unabridged interview with Johnnyswim. What is it like to be a famous musical duo, on the road all the time, and married with kids? That’s the life of Amanda Sudano and Abner Ramirez, more widely known as folk-pop band Johnnyswim, whose eclectic life is put on full display in their two reality television shows, “The Johnnyswim Show” and “In the Kitchen with Abner + Amanda.” Amanda's mot...

What is it like to be a famous musical duo, on the road all the time, and married with kids? That’s the life of Amanda Sudano and Abner Ramirez, more widely known as folk-pop band Johnnyswim, whose eclectic life is put on full display in their two reality television shows, “The Johnnyswim Show” and “In the Kitchen with Abner + Amanda.” Amanda's mother was the legendary Disco Queen Donna Summer; me...

This is our unabridged interview with Oliver Burkeman. In an age full of life hacks, self-help books, and productivity gurus, many of us only end up busier and more stressed than we were before. What if there’s a better way to live a full, fruitful life? "The world is bursting with wonder,” says Oliver Burkeman, “and yet it's the rare productivity guru who seems to have considered the possibility...

In an age full of life hacks, self-help books, and productivity gurus, many of us only end up busier and more stressed than we were before. What if there’s a better way to live a full, fruitful life? "The world is bursting with wonder,” says Oliver Burkeman, “and yet it's the rare productivity guru who seems to have considered the possibility that the ultimate point of all our frenetic doing might...

This is our unabridged interview with Charles Strobel. On August 6th, 2023, at the age of 80, Charles Strobel, affectionately known as Charlie, left us. Today, we revisit our 2020 interview with him. A true Nashville icon, he was once hailed as "Tennesseean of the Year." As a Catholic priest and the visionary behind Room In The Inn, a Nashville-based non-profit dedicated to offering hospitality, e...

On August 6th, 2023, at the age of 80, Charles Strobel, affectionately known as Charlie, left us. Today, we revisit our 2020 interview with him. A true Nashville icon, he was once hailed as "Tennesseean of the Year." As a Catholic priest and the visionary behind Room In The Inn, a Nashville-based non-profit dedicated to offering hospitality, education, community, and employment to those experienci...

This is our unabridged interview with Elise Hu. What is beauty, and what role should it play in our lives? Beauty has long been seen as one the three “transcendentals” (along with truth and goodness) which have been valued at all times, in all places, by all cultures. But these days, the word “beauty” is often equated with standards of bodily presentation that, in an increasingly globalized and te...

What is beauty, and what role should it play in our lives? Beauty has long been seen as one the three “transcendentals” (along with truth and goodness) which have been valued at all times, in all places, by all cultures. But these days, the word “beauty” is often equated with standards of bodily presentation that, in an increasingly globalized and technological world, are reachable only by extreme...

This is our unabridged interview with Tish Harrison Warren. Does pluralism result in discrimination? Must one choose a political side, either on the Left or the Right? And how can an ordinary life be an exceptional one? These are all questions involving dichotomies that are commonly presented to us in our culture. But Tish Harrison Warren, an ordained Anglican priest and columnist for the New York...

Does pluralism result in discrimination? Must one choose a political side, either on the Left or the Right? And how can an ordinary life be an exceptional one? These are all questions involving dichotomies that are commonly presented to us in our culture. But Tish Harrison Warren, an ordained Anglican priest and columnist for the New York Times, sees such dichotomies as false, and has spent her ow...

This is our unabridged interview with Angela Duckworth. What do Olympic athletes, world-class artists, elite academics, and successful business executives have in common? Ivy League psychologist Angela Duckworth has spent her career researching this question, closely studying those folks at the top of their respective fields who are considered “high achievers.” Surprisingly, it turns out talent is...