Free Thinking with Montel

What happens when a healthcare professional suddenly becomes the patient? In this episode of Free Thinking with Montel , Montel Williams sits down with Selena Buongiorno, PA-C, a physician assistant, board-certified Lifestyle Medicine practitioner, clinical researcher, MS advocate, and host of the MSwired Podcast . Diagnosed with multiple sclerosis in 2020, Selena found herself navigating a lifelo...

What does it take to face cancer four times—including two ultra-rare tumors—and still refuse to let a diagnosis define your life? On this episode of Free Thinking with Montel , Montel Williams sits down with Judith Remekie, an award-winning television producer, writer, actor, host, and four-time cancer survivor whose extraordinary personal journey is one she has rarely shared publicly. Diagnosed w...

What happens when silence becomes a survival skill—and then follows you into adulthood? On this episode of Free Thinking with Montel , Montel Williams sits down with author Rich Dunning for a deeply personal conversation about his new memoir, Silence Was My First Language . Rich opens up about growing up amid abuse, poverty, addiction, fear and instability—and how those childhood experiences conti...

What happens when helping one veteran becomes a mission to help thousands? On this episode of Free Thinking with Montel , Montel Williams sits down with Marcie Polier Swartz , founder of Village for Vets , and her brother, Brad Zalben , a U.S. Navy veteran whose personal journey inspired the organization. Brad served in the Navy from 1992–1999 as a Seabee, trained in welding and construction. Afte...

What if one of the most consequential wars in American history might have taken a different course? On this episode of Free Thinking with Montel , Montel sits down with distinguished attorney, historian, professor, and author C. Evan Stewart to revisit the turbulent months leading up to the American Civil War—and the largely overlooked role of William Henry Seward. Best remembered today as Abraham...

#MontelWilliams #MultipleSclerosis #LivingWithMS  In this special solo episode of Free Thinking with Montel , Montel Williams gets personal about his decades-long journey with multiple sclerosis—what the disease has taken from him, what it has taught him, and how his approach to living well has evolved since his diagnosis in 1999. Drawing from his own experiences with pain, fatigue, cognitive chan...

#FreeThinkingWithMontel #MontelWilliams #ForgedValor What happens when military service ends—but the mission doesn't? In this inspiring episode of Free Thinking with Montel, Montel Williams talks with Colonel John Mayer, USMC (Ret.) and Mo Smith, co-founders of Forged Valor, a nonprofit dedicated to helping veterans, first responders, spouses, and young adults rediscover purpose through horsemansh...

#FreeThinkingWithMontel #MontelWilliams #MultipleSclerosis  What happens when one life-changing diagnosis becomes the catalyst for helping thousands of others? In this inspiring episode of Free Thinking with Montel , Montel Williams sits down with Victoria Reese Brathwaite , Founder and President of We Are ILL , a nonprofit organization dedicated to empowering Black women living with multiple scle...

#FreeThinkingWithMontel #MontelWilliams #Podcast    What if climate change, rising inequality, declining public health, political polarization, food insecurity, and our growing loss of trust aren't separate crises—but symptoms of the same underlying problem? On this episode of Free Thinking with Montel , Montel talks with investigative journalist, entrepreneur, and author Fons Burger to explore th...

After nearly three decades in law enforcement, Paulena Gidda had seen more trauma than most people could imagine. A serious on-duty injury, years investigating child abuse and sexual offenses, and the cumulative weight of witnessing humanity at its worst left her battling PTSD and questioning everything she thought she knew about herself. But in her darkest moments, healing arrived from an unexpec...

#FreeThinkingWithMontel #Yellowstone #Photography     For more than four decades, legendary wildlife photographer Tom Murphy has done what few humans ever will—live inside America’s wildest places, not as a visitor, but as a witness. In this unforgettable episode of Free Thinking with Montel , Montel sits down with the world-renowned Yellowstone photographer, conservationist, adventurer, and story...

#MentalHealth #YouthMentalHealth #FreeThinkingWithMontel What does it really mean to help young people thrive in a world filled with anxiety, pressure, isolation, and identity-based challenges? On this episode of Free Thinking with Montel , Montel sits down with pioneering psychologist, scientist, and mental health advocate Dr. Alfiee Breland-Noble to discuss the growing youth mental health crisis...

#FreeThinkingWithMontel, #MontelWilliams, #Podcast We’re taught to believe the Supreme Court is the final word on justice—but history tells a more complicated story. In this episode of Free Thinking with Montel , Montel sits down with legal expert and author C. Evan Stewart to examine some of the most consequential—and controversial—decisions ever handed down by the U.S. Supreme Court. From Dred S...

#FreeThinkingWithMontel #MontelWilliams #CostOfSuccess What does it really cost to be successful? In this episode of Free Thinking with Montel , Montel Williams sits down with Dr. Craig Yorke—neurosurgeon and author of Steep: A Black Neurosurgeon’s Journey —to unpack the hidden cost of excellence. From growing up in segregated Boston to becoming a leading neurosurgeon, Yorke shares the pressure of...

On this episode of Free Thinking with Montel , Montel sits down with endurance runners Colin Goodman and Matthew Knaggs—two men living with Multiple Sclerosis who refuse to let diagnosis define their future. After being diagnosed with MS, both Colin and Matt chose movement over fear. Their latest challenge is extraordinary: a 350-mile run across Ireland from Mizen Head to Malin Head, raising funds...

For many veterans and first responders, the hardest battles don’t end when the uniform comes off. Trauma, PTSD, and moral injury can follow them home—quietly shaping relationships, identity, and everyday life. On this episode of Free Thinking with Montel, Montel sits down with Lew and Nicole Duckwall, co-founders of Patriot Anglers, to talk about what healing actually looks like after service. Lew...

What does it take to break a cycle you were born into? This week on Free Thinking with Montel , I sit down with Roy Hughes — author, veteran, and foster care survivor — to talk about resilience, responsibility, and redefining what family really means. Roy’s new memoir, Empty Hands: How One Foster Child Sacrificed Everything He Knew for Life, Liberty, and Happiness , is a raw and unfiltered look at...

This week on Free Thinking with Montel , Montel sits down with Walter Green — visionary leader, bestselling author, and founder of the global Say It Now movement — to explore one of the simplest yet most powerful forces in human life: gratitude. Walter has built the world’s largest living-tribute initiative around a single idea: don’t wait to say thank you. Through National Say It Now Day (Decembe...

In this powerful and deeply human episode of Free Thinking with Montel , Montel Williams sits down with writer, cultural advocate, and founder of the Baldhead Empress platform, Cheryl McCourtie , to unpack the devastating aftermath of Hurricane Melissa and what recovery really looks like for Jamaica. On October 28, 2025, the strongest hurricane in Jamaica’s recorded history tore through the island...

Join Montel Williams for an inspiring episode of  Free Thinking  as we dive into one of the most remarkable environmental success stories of our time. Our guest, Amanda Leland, Executive Director of the Environmental Defense Fund and co-author of the groundbreaking book  Sea Change: Unlikely Allies and a Success Story of Oceanic Proportions , takes us on a journey through the miraculous recovery o...

In this inspiring episode of  Free Thinking with Montel , we sit down with Ashley Schneider, the powerhouse behind MS Run the US, Inc., and author of the new memoir  The Long Run Home . Ashley’s story is one of resilience, purpose, and turning personal pain into a movement that has raised over $4 million for multiple sclerosis awareness, aid, and research. Ashley shares her deeply personal connect...

What if getting older didn’t mean getting old?   On today’s episode of Free Thinking, Montel dives into the revolutionary concept of SuperAging with special guest David Cravit, co-author of The  SuperAging Workbook. (Larry Wolf couldn’t join us this time, but his insights are still front and center!) David shares the groundbreaking strategies behind the Seven A’s of SuperAging—a powerful framework...

In this deeply moving episode of  Free Thinking with Montel , we welcome back Dr. David Weill, renowned pulmonologist, author, and storyteller. You may remember him from his previous appearance, where he shared insights from his memoir  Exhale: Hope, Healing, and A Life in Transplant . Now, he returns to discuss his latest book,  Tell Me I Belong: A Journey Across Faiths and Generations , releasin...

In this powerful episode of  Free Thinking with Montel , Montel Williams sits down with two extraordinary guests, Debra Meyerson and Steve Zuckerman, to explore the emotional and physical journey of stroke recovery. Debra, a former Stanford professor, and Steve, her husband and care-partner, share their deeply personal story of resilience, identity rebuilding, and advocacy following Debra’s life-a...

On this episode of Free Thinking with Montel, we dive into one of the most pressing and complex issues of our time: the intersection of faith, politics, and democracy in America.  Montel sits down with Dr. Matthew Boedy, a professor of rhetoric, author, and advocate, to discuss his groundbreaking new book, The Seven Mountains Mandate: Exposing the Dangerous Plan to Christianize America and Destroy...