Adult Education

Author Hernan Diaz has just published one of the most creative books I've ever encountered. It's really four books in one. 'Trust' tackles the idea of narrative and how stories are formed over time. 'Trust' is made up of four parts. You have the novel within the novel, an unfinished manuscript, a memoir and a diary. All four written by different people but all about the same family. And each gives...

I can't say enough about this conversation. I've been thinking about it and bragging about it to people since it happened. Dr. Dana Suskind is such a wealth of knowledge and information. Her book, 'Parent Nation: Unlocking Every Child's Potential, Fulfilling Society's Promise' has inspired and lit a fire in me. Dr. Suskind discusses how the best way to help our children is to make better investmen...

I (try) to read a lot. Most of the time I'm reading non-fiction books trying to learn something new. But once the Spring hits I start shifting more into fiction novels. I love sitting outside with a good book in my hands. I heard about Lauren McBrayer's debut adult novel 'Like A House On Fire' and I knew I had to check it out. I'm so glad I did. I found that the story has inspired so many conversa...

Have you ever wondered if you could survive by living off the land? Admit it. You've been sitting on your couch with a bowl of popcorn watching The Walking Dead and you've had that thought. You've seen these folks surviving without modern conveniences and said to your partner, "I could do that. It doesn't look that hard." Tamar Haspel is here to tell you that it is that hard, but it's not impossib...

The long running narrative for teenagers is that they don't need sleep. They're invincible, right? Wrong. New research has found that tweens and teens go through a sort of regression and really need about as much sleep as a toddler. But that's not how we treat them. High schools start super early in the morning, teachers still give hours of homework, and after school sports/programs are so much mo...

This conversation was a real treat. I only wish I had more time with her. I was able to catch up with Camila Alves McConaughey. Yes, that Camila Alves McConaughey. We discussed her new book called 'Just Try One Bite' that aims to inspire children to try foods, like vegetables, that they otherwise would ignore and fight against. It's a very well done book that is co-written by Adam Mansbach (famous...

This week's episode features a buzzword that you may have seen floating around on social media. We're talking about Toxic Positivity. It's become a very common thing as of late and represents this idea where everything is happy and perfect. You've all seen the memes and hashtags online that feature phrases like 'Good Vibes Only' and 'Life Is Good.' People take positivity to such a point where they...

Add this one to my list of favorite guests to have on the show. Cy Wakeman is a NY Times Bestselling Author and leadership consultant. This was a great conversation. I find I relate to her on so many levels and I really understand what she's trying to get out there. Her new book, 'Life's Messy, Live Happy: Things Don't Have To Be Perfect For You To Be Content' is out now. The basic premise is urgi...

Have you ever watched a movie or read a comic with a dastardly supervillain plot to take over the world and thought, "I wonder if that could actually happen"? Well, Ryan North is here to answer that question for you. You might be surprised to know that, for the right price, the answer is yes! Ryan is a longtime comics writer and a best selling author. He's looking at some of the classic world domi...

The term 'critical thinking' has been weaponized, specifically over the last couple of years. People use the phrase to explain their beliefs in conspiracy theories and other misinformation. It's often used by politicians and media outlets as they try to push false information to their constituents. It's a shame really. Critical thinking is such an important tool for someone to have. I hate that th...

I can't say enough good things about Laci Kaye Booth. There is something so special, and even magical, about her voice. It just hits me in way that I can't describe. And that's what I'm looking for in music. People to think outside the box always catch my ear better than those just trying to follow suit with everything else. Laci finished top 5 on Season 17 of American Idol and then made her way t...

Raising kids these days is tough. I think about my own experience as a child and it's like I grew up in the dark ages compared to what kids are like today. I was still writing by hand all of my essays for class through most of high school. That only changed when we finally got a computer at home. Now kids are connected 24/7. And it's not only for social purposes. Education is done online and so ar...

I don't even know where to being with Daniel Pink. He's at the top of my Mt. Rushmore of people I wanted to interview. It gave me such pleasure to finally be able to speak with him. I have all of his books on my bookshelf at home. The way Dan's mind works is fascinating to me. In this conversation we're talking about his latest book, 'The Power Of Regret: how Looking Backward Moves Us Forward.' Ho...

You know that feeling you get in the pit of your stomach when you're relaxing and think you have something else you should be doing? That's called productivity guilt. We've conditioned ourselves to believe that we should be filling up every second of the day with things that need to get done. Is that really what life is all about? Madeleine Dore is an Australian writer, interviewer, and I'd call h...

I had the pleasure of sitting down with country artist Ray Fulcher. He's got such a cool story to tell. Ray may be a new artist for a lot of people but he's been working in Nashville for almost a decade now. Even if you're not familiar with his name, you are certainly aware of some of his songs. Ray is a writer on 17 of Luke Combs' songs, 4 of which went to number 1 on the country charts. Songs li...

We've all had to deal with those people at work that steal our work, sit lazily by as we do extra work, and tear us down to get ahead. Those are some of the jerks that you may find at work. I've experienced plenty of these in my life, so I'm well versed in this topic. I'm joined today by Tessa West. She just published her first book called 'Jerks At Work: Toxic Coworkers and What To Do About Them'...

This conversation was an absolute pleasure. Danielle Friedman is the author of 'Let's Get Physical: How Women Discovered Exercise and Reshaped the World.' The way Danielle told the story through her research fascinated me. I so enjoyed the book and speaking with Danielle just added to that. The history of women's exercise and how they went from not being allowed to join gyms to being the driving f...

Lisa Gardner has a resume that's longer than what I'm allowed to type here. She's a New York Times Best Selling author with over 20 novels to her credit. Lisa is a master at building suspense and thrills through her stories. I spoke with her last year when she released the book, "Before She Disappeared" which featured a new character, Frankie Elkin. Frankie travels around the country looking for t...

I hate talking about money. It literally makes me physically uncomfortable to discuss it with people. That's why I enjoyed this conversation. Yes, it's about money. But it's fun and a little tongue in cheek. Those are not usually ways used to describe financial conversations. I caught up with author Emily Guy Birken. She teamed up with Joe Saul-Sehy to write the book 'Stacked: Your Super Serious G...

One of my favorite TV shows of all time is New Girl. The writing and the casting for that show were brilliant. When I saw that actor Max Greenfield (AKA Schmidt) had written a children's book, I jumped at the chance to speak with him. Max was great. He was funny and engaged. It's not always the case with celebrities, so I appreciate him for that. And the book is fantastic. As much as we love to pr...

I like to think if you're listening to this show that you take some enjoyment from it. Maybe Adult Education gives you a little boost of happiness. That boost would be from your brain releasing dopamine into your system. It's often called 'The Happy Hormone' because it's your body's way of giving you pleasure. But we live in a world that's filled with instant gratification and bright shiny things...

Over the last few weeks you've heard individual conversations with all three members of The Chattahoochies. Episode 67 was with Nelly Joy, 68 with Audra Mae and Episode 69 featured Summer Overstreet. Now it's time to get all of the women together for a big group chat. I was worried about this one going into it because three people is a lot for a video call. But it ended up being fun and hilarious....

My series on new country group The Chattahoochies continues for this episode. This week I'm speaking with Summer Overstreet. She comes from a very musical and talented family, and it seems the apple doesn't fall far from the tree. Over the last few years Summer has become one of the best and most sought after songwriters in Nashville. When you hear songs from The Chattahoochies you'll understand w...

Welcome to part 2 of my 4 part series with The Chattahoochies. This week I'm chatting with Audra Mae. She's incredible. I've been a fan of hers for over a decade now and it gives me so much pleasure to learn more about her and share her story with all of you. Just some details about Audra. She's released three albums and an EP. She's been a guest vocalist on tracks from Avicii, Flo Rida and The Al...

This is an exciting moment for me. I'm trying something new with the podcast. This is part 1 of a 4 part series featuring new country group The Chattahoochies. This week I'm speaking with Nelly Joy. You may know her from her work with the Jane Dear Girls, Gone West, High Dive Heart and her solo work. She's crazy talented and someone that I've admired for years. I'm excited to bring you more of her...