You Matter!

Karen speaks with Professor Dalton Conley, the Henry Putnam University Professor of Sociology at Princeton University and affiliate of the Office of Population Research and the Center for Health and Wellbeing. Professor Conley talks about his bestselling book, The Pecking Order, Which Siblings Succeed and Why, which asserts that birth order does not determine success but instead, success is influe...

Maura and Eric talk to Karen about Maura's mother, Mary Joy Scherlach. Mary was a school psychologist at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Connecticut; on December 14, 2012, Mary gave her life protecting her students when someone entered the school and fatally shot 26 people and injured one. Following this nightmare, Mary's family and friends created Mary's Fund to honor Mary's legacy.

Monroe France, NYU Senior Associate Vice President for Global Engagement and Inclusive Leadership and Chris Woods, Director, LGBTQ+ Center at NYU. Monroe and Chris talk about the ways in which the Office of Global Inclusion, Diversity, and Strategic Innovation is dedicated to developing strategies to enhance the lives of all members of the NYU community.

Ali is an alumna of NYU Tisch School of the Arts, and a groundbreaking performer who made history as the first actress in a wheelchair to appear on Broadway. Ali won a Tony for her performance in the revival of Oklahoma! and earned a Barrymore Award nomination for starring in The Twenty-Fifth Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee. In addition to her work on and off-Broadway, she has soloed at the Kenn...

In this episode, Karen speaks with Claire Tietgen and her father Charles. Claire is 18 and the survivor of bullying as well as several suicide attempts. Claire is on a mission to share her story to normalize the conversation about bullying, depression and suicide.

Dr. Robert J. Ackerman is Professor Emeritus from Indiana University of Pennsylvania, an author, and the previous Director of the Mid-Atlantic Addiction Research and Training Institute. He is the co-founder of the National Association for Children of Addiction and the previous Editor of Counselor: The Magazine for Addiction and Behavioral Health Professionals, and currently the Chair of the Adviso...

Claire Bidwell Smith is a renowned grief expert and author. After losing both of her parents at a young age, Claire was drawn to helping others navigate the grief process. A former therapist in private practice for over a decade, she has counseled thousands of people and written three books about grief and loss. Claire speaks and lectures widely; she is passionate about advocating for advancement...

Angela Kennecke is a seasoned investigative journalist and news anchor at the South Dakota CBS affiliate KELO in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. Angela was working on a story on drug overdoses the day she got the news that her 21-year-old daughter Emily died of an overdose. It was later revealed that Emily died of fentanyl poisoning after having obtained what she thought was heroin. Angela is on a miss...

Cheryl Thomas was a student at Florida State University in 1978 and a member of the FSU dance team. Cheryl was alone in her apartment when serial killer Ted Bundy broke in, viciously attacked her and left her for dead. Unbeknownst to Cheryl, Bundy had just murdered two FSU classmates who were members of the Chi Omega Sorority and brutally attacked two other sorority sisters. Cheryl is here to shar...

Stephanie is the author of 37 Seconds: Dying Revealed Heaven's Help. In 2013, when Stephanie was pregnant with her second child, she began receiving mysterious but strong premonitions that she would die during delivery. Stephanie did everything that she could to inform physicians and her family about what she knew was coming; no one believed her. When Stephanie gave birth to her son, she flatlined...

Brandy is an actress, dancer and former model. Clean & sober since 2012, Brandy speaks candidly and regularly about her addiction to drugs & alcohol and her recovery from trauma. A prominent member of the community, Brandy is on several Boards including the Red Songbird Foundation and is involved in numerous fundraising events for various causes.

Former Miss South Africa and Miss Universe Demi Leigh Tebow is now on a mission to help women feel mentally and physically prepared for anything through her Unbreakable campaign, a self-defense program inspired by her own experience as an attempted carjacking and kidnapping survivor in June 2017. Demi shares her story of healing and recovery and how she shares her story to help others.

The granddaughter of Frank Sinatra and recovering alcohol addicted person, AJ Lambert speaks with Karen about her journey.

Noel Capuano, CPA and Principal in the accounting firm of Friedman LLP, and John O'Donnell, Partner in Forensic Litigation Valuation Services at Friedman LLP speak with Karen about forensic accounting as it pertains to divorce. The purpose of this conversation is to be constructive and educational; to help listeners going through a divorce or headed in that direction understand the role that foren...

Eric Hipple is a former National Football League (NFL) quarterback whose ten-year career was spent with the Detroit Lions. In 2000, Eric's then 15-year-old son Jeff died by suicide; since that time, Eric has devoted his life to building awareness and breaking down the stigma surrounding depressive illnesses. He is the author of "Real Men Do Cry," which received a publisher Presidential Award.

Karen Chandler Pryor was a student at Florida State University and a member of the Chi Omega Sorority, living in the sorority house in 1978, when serial killer Ted Bundy broke into the house, murdered two of Karen's sorority sisters, and attempted to kill Karen and her roommate Kathy. Karen and Kathy survived Bundy's brutal attack.

Victoria Arlen is a television personality for ESPN, as well as an actress, speaker, model, and former American paralympian swimmer. Victoria's life drastically changed in 2006 at the age of eleven when she developed two rare conditions known as Transverse Myelitis and Acute Disseminated Encephalomyelitis. This was an incredibly rare scenario and Victoria quickly lost the ability to speak, eat, wa...

The lives of Kari Kelly, her son Patrick, and family friend Carla Tardif are intertwined in a way that is both tragic and beautiful. Kari, Patrick and Carla lost a husband, father and friend to brain cancer. Pat Kelly, a Syracuse University football standout who later played for four years in the NFL, died at the age of 37 after a two-year battle with brain cancer. On Pat's deathbed, he asked his...

Chris is a high school basketball legend from Fall River, Massachusetts; he was named to the 1994 McDonald's All-American team and began his collegiate career at Boston College. After failing several drug tests, Chris transferred to Fresno State where he was one of the best point guards in the country. In 1999, Chris was drafted by the Denver Nuggets and then in 2000, traded to his hometown team,...

Karen speaks with Seymour Josephson, the father of Samantha Josephson, a 21-year-old senior at the University of South Carolina who, on March 29, 2019, was kidnapped and murdered when she was targeted by a person posing as a rideshare driver. Immediately following this unspeakable tragedy, Seymour and Samantha's mom, Marci Josephson, set out to educate others on the importance of rideshare safety...

Melissa's father, Ed DeAngelo, was a lieutenant in the Ewing Township, NJ, Police Department when he was diagnosed with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, otherwise known as ALS; Lieutenant DeAngelo died from ALS four years after his diagnosis. Melissa, now a nurse, shares her father's story of life with this unforgiving disease.

Kelly, a college student, shares her story of struggling with depression and being the survivor of a traumatic event that led to an unsettling and abusive experience in a psychiatric hospital.

Catherine is an author and actress, best known for her role as Amanda Carrington in the 1980s prime time soap opera Dynasty, in addition to other movie and television roles, who has always been a strong advocate on women's issues. India, Catherine's daughter, is also an author, actress, producer and writer. Catherine and India are here to talk about India's 7-year experience in a cult called NXIVM...

In our season finale, Karen speaks with Kathy Kleiner Rubin who was a student at Florida State University and a member of the Chi Omega Sorority. She was living in the sorority house in 1978 when serial killer Ted Bundy broke into the house, murdered two of Kathy's sorority sisters and attempted to kill Kathy and her roommate Karen. Kathy and Karen survived Bundy's brutal attack, and Kathy is here...

Bessel van der Kolk, MD, is a clinician, researcher, and teacher best known for his work with post-traumatic stress; he is the author of the New York Times bestseller, The Body Keeps the Score. Dr. van der Kolk has been active in the field of mental health since the 1970s and currently serves as medical director at the Trauma Center in Boston.