The David Magee Show

What if kindness wasn’t occasional—but a way of living? Kristina Joy Carlson, creator of Outrageous Kindness, joins me to talk about how everyday actions shape connection, relationships, and the lives around us. Find out more about Kristina Joy Carlson: https://outrageouskindness.com/ David Magee's Newsletter ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠https://davidmagee.substack.com/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ The Magee Foundation ⁠⁠⁠⁠...

Two years out of college, they’ve built a New York–based talent firm—now expanding nationally—connecting top students and recent graduates with real opportunities. Hartwell Furr and Brenley Rinaudo are the co-founders of Hartwell, a New York–based talent firm focused on connecting top college students and recent graduates with meaningful opportunities. Find out more about The Hartwell Collective -...

Novelist Claire Gibson has spent years doing the part of writing no one sees—the showing up, the refining, the staying with it long before anyone pays attention. Now, with her novel Burst Into Song on the horizon, things are starting to move. This conversation lives in the long middle—the doubt, the quiet, the moments when it feels too hard. And why that’s often where the real work is happening. G...

Losing our son William changed everything. In the middle of that grief, I experienced something I still can’t fully explain—something that reshaped how I understand loss, connection, and what it means to say goodbye. Do the people we love completely leave us? Can they still reach us in ways we don’t expect? In this episode, I share that moment—and what it’s opened up for me about grief, presence,...

There’s one simple practice that can change your life, and it doesn’t take discipline, talent, or effort the way most habits do. It’s something we often overlook, but the science and the lived experience both point to the same truth: gratitude has the power to transform how we think, feel, and connect. In this episode, I share why gratitude is so powerful, how it builds resilience and emotional st...

Few words are more powerful than “I’m sorry,” yet those two words can be some of the hardest to say. Admitting we’ve done something wrong challenges the story we tell ourselves about who we are. In this episode, I talk about why apologies are so difficult, what psychology and neuroscience say about it, and why learning to say a sincere “I’m sorry” can repair relationships, restore trust, and even...

So many struggles stay hidden because of shame. Whether it’s an eating disorder, substance misuse, or just feeling like you’re the only one dealing with something hard, silence has a way of making things darker. In this episode, Kent, Mary Ivon Montgomery, and I join Tammy and Kevin as guests on their podcast Across the Table. They invited us to talk about faith, recovery, body image, and the cour...

There are few things more uncomfortable than taking a real, honest look at ourselves. For me, a fearless moral inventory meant facing lies, the shame, and damage. But after the pain comes remarkable healing — and joy. In this episode, Kent and I talk about why step four is so hard but why it’s the turning point. Real change doesn’t start when we blame someone else. It starts when we ask, “What’s m...

For a long time, I thought the 12 steps were just for people battling addiction. What I’ve learned is that some of the most practical, life-changing lessons I’ve ever found are embedded in that process, and at the center of it all is something simple: love and service. In this episode, Kent and I talk about how helping others has a way of healing the one doing the helping. If you’ve ever felt rest...

A lot of people think recovery is just about quitting something. Just stop drinking. Just stop using. Just get it under control. But what I’ve seen in our family and in so many others is that recovery isn’t just about stopping. It’s about building a different kind of life. What once felt like a curse can slowly become something you’re grateful for. In this episode, Kent and I talk about what we ca...

For a long time, I thought willpower was enough. I believed I could muscle my way through change, keep faith on a shelf, and pull it down later if I needed it. What I learned — slowly and painfully — is that stopping a behavior and finding recovery are not the same thing. Kent and I talk about ego, vulnerability, the spiritual path that so many people in recovery eventually walk, and why growth be...

We recently lived through a storm that shut down our town, cut the power for days, and reminded us how fragile our routines really are. When the lights go out and the temperature drops, and your house is hit by a tree, perspective gets tested — and so does patience, fear, and old wounds you thought were long settled. In this episode, my wife Kent and I talk about what it’s like to navigate an unex...

January puts an enormous amount of pressure on us — to be better, healthier, more disciplined, more productive. If you’re feeling behind, distracted, or overwhelmed right now, you’re not alone. Most of us are trying to improve ourselves at the exact moment we feel least equipped to do it. In this episode, I share what I learned 15 years ago when my life had fallen apart: I didn’t need a new me — I...

We tell ourselves the holidays are supposed to be joyful — full of warmth, family, and meaning. And they are. But they also have a way of bringing grief, loneliness, and unmet expectations to the surface, especially when you’ve experienced loss of loved ones. In this episode, Kent and I talk honestly about why Christmas can feel heavy for some, how expectations shape our suffering, and why letting...

Sitting down with my friend Dr. David Weill, I was struck by the courage it takes to return to your past and ask a hard, lifelong question: Who am I really? In this episode, we talk about his new memoir, Tell Me I Belong, and the journey that shaped it—growing up in the Deep South as the son of a father with Jewish heritage and a Southern Baptist mother, in a home where faith was rarely discussed....

Kent and I share the story behind our shared journey that led us to launching The Magee Foundation, work we are doing together. The Magee Foundation is a nonprofit dedicated to strengthening community well-being through storytelling, education, recovery support, and collaboration. It’s the next step in the work that began and continues with our family’s own story. Find out more at mageefoundation....

The holidays are supposed to be a time to exhale — to reconnect, rest, and breathe again. But for many young people, from middle school through college and well into their twenties, this season can quietly become the most dangerous stretch of the year. Structure fades. Old pressures reappear. Sleep goes sideways. Substance misuse and emotional distress often surge. I see it every day in my work wi...

I’ve always loved Thanksgiving for its simplicity—no gifts, no pressure, just a table and gratitude. But the one year I sat alone at mine, I learned more about grace than any other holiday I’ve lived through. This is the story of how a box at my door reminded me I wasn’t as alone as I thought… and it helped lead my family and me back to each other. David Magee's Newsletter ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://davidmage...

When I was younger, I thought 60 meant slowing down, maybe coasting into the sunset. But I’ve learned the opposite — this season of life is sharper, clearer, and freer to try and make a difference in the world. Today, my wife Kent interviews me and ask what turning 60 means and about second chances, regret, aging with peace, and the strange beauty of realizing you have nothing left to prove. It’s...

There was a time when my daughter Mary Halley and I couldn’t talk. Not really. Now we sit across from each other, laughing, asking questions, and sharing the hard-won peace that came from years of healing and growing. In this conversation, we talk about what it means to rebuild trust, the lessons that come with being parents and grandparents, and why keeping the conversation going is the victory i...

On the eve of Halloween 2025, I talk about the things that scare me now—not the witches and monsters of childhood, but the real fears that come with being human. The fear of disconnection. Of judgment. Of forgetting how to truly see one another. But maybe fear isn’t only something to run from. Maybe it’s a reminder of what still matters. In this episode, I explore how we can choose curiosity over...

Families aren’t simple — even the strongest ones. In this episode, I sit down with my daughter-in-law, Lo Magee, to talk about staying connected when addiction, recovery, and grief have reshaped everything — from how we communicate to how we trust again. It’s honest and a little raw — because showing up, learning, and growing together is what makes a family. David Magee's Newsletter ⁠⁠⁠https://dav...

I talk about what it really means to create something honest — not the shiny, perfect kind the world seems to want, but the kind that shows what’s real. Writing my memoir A Little Crazy taught me more about myself than any success ever could — even if the book had only been for me. Sometimes, as creators, that’s what’s needed. It reminded me that not all stories are meant to be polished. They’re m...

I sit down with Alysia Lajune, who helps lead the William Magee Center at Ole Miss — the same center that carries my son’s name. Alysia's story is powerful, real, and full of hope. She opens up about her own journey through addiction and recovery, and how it led her to the work she’s doing now to help students find healing and purpose. We talk about what recovery really looks like — the honesty, t...

As parents, we all like to think we know our children completely. We keep up with their grades, go to their games, check their posts, and tell ourselves they’re doing okay. But sometimes, we really don’t know what’s going on. I learned that the day my daughter finally said the words I didn’t even realize I needed to hear: I need help. That moment changed how I listen. It reminded me that struggle...