All The Wiser

Snuggle up with a cozy blanket because we are about to bring you MORE All The Wiser! Introducing, our very FIRST mini-episode! Kimi and ATW producer Erica Gerard discuss our latest episode with Maya Amoils. PLUS - thoughts and feelings on the Coronavirus and the power of storytelling to uplift and soothe during times of crisis. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Advertising...

Maya Amoils had a very romantic mid-20's experience living and working abroad, running half-marathons and building the career of her dreams. That all changed after receiving a phone call that altered the course of her life. At 28, she was diagnosed with stage four ovarian cancer. The day before Maya came to do this interview, she completed her 15th round of chemo. She is fighting for her life...

Only 1% of those who attempt suicide by jumping off of the Golden Gate Bridge survive, and Kevin Hines is one of those people. Fueled by a history of struggle with depression and bi-polar disorder, Kevin thought the bridge would be the easiest way to die, yet the first thing he felt after clearing the railing was - regret. Today, Kevin is a world renowned speaker, best selling author, and mental h...

Damien Echols grew up as a Metallica-listening, Wicca-dabbling, non-conformist teenager in southern bible belt country. When three 8-year-old boys were found dead in the woods of West Memphis Arkansas, the police immediately turned to Echols and his two friends Jason Baldwin and Jessie Misskelley. In 1994, Damien was sentenced to death and spent 18 years in prison including 10 years in solitary co...

BJ Miller was a sophomore in college when he lost both his legs and half of one arm in a freak electrical accident with a New Jersey commuter train. He spent months in a burn unit followed by outpatient physical therapy to learn how to manage daily life as a triple amputee. Looking to put to use the lessons he learned on suffering, BJ decided to become a physician - specifically a palliative care...

If you follow the sport of tennis at all, you know the name Mardy Fish. He rose to prominence in the early 2000's and became the #1 American tennis player in the ATP rankings and #7 in the world. What you may not know about Mardy Fish is that during a career defining match at the US Open against Roger Federer, in front of 25,000 people and with millions watching on TV, he walked off the court,...

Paula Stone Williams knew from a young age that she was transgender, but as a leader in a conservative evangelical religious community, then Paul, avoided transitioning at all costs. Paul's son, Jonathan, followed in his father's footsteps and began a career in ministry, creating a new church under the same organization. Three months into his new job, Paul sat Jonathan down and told him th...

Kimi shares some of the most memorable moments from our guests this year, why we decided to take a short break for the month of December and our intentions for the 2019 holiday season.  Thank you, dear listeners, for all the incredible feedback you've given us about the show since we launched in April. We wouldn't be here without you and we are grateful for every moment of it! Happy Holida...

Tracy Walder left behind a childhood of bullying and headed to USC where she studied history and held leadership positions in her sorority. When a recruiter from the CIA invited her for an interview her junior year, the "up-for-anything" bubbly blond jumped at the opportunity. Little did she know a year later, she would be placed in the counter-terrorism center in the weapons of mass destr...

Ed Gavigan was walking home one night from the bar where he worked in Manhattan when he was jumped by three kids and stabbed six times in the back, side and neck. Doctors gave him a 2% chance to live. In the hospital he learned that the three kids were gang members looking for someone to kill as part of an initiation for moving up in the gang, and Ed was just in the wrong place at the wrong time....

In his 20’s Khalil Rafati left his small town with a dream of moving to Los Angeles and becoming famous. But by the time he was 33 he found himself living on LA’s notorious skid row, 109 lbs., homeless, and fueling a daily heroin and cocaine addiction. Today, at 49, Khalil is now a wildly successful entrepreneur and the face of his wellness brand, Sunlife Organics. What is it like to beg for money...

Cassie McKee is Kimi's cousin and one of the people Kimi looks up to most in her life (and not just because Cassie is a world class bedazzler). Cassie has a form of dwarfism called Achondroplasia, which her husband and kids have as well. In this episode, she opens up to Kimi about what it's like living as a family of little people in an average sized world, genetics, parenting, and why she...

Jake Olson was born with cancer in his left eye and by the age of twelve he was told that his right eye would also need to be removed leaving him completely blind. His last wish of sight was to watch his beloved USC Trojans play football one last time. Few would imagine that years later Jake would become a Division 1 football player himself after being asked to join the Trojans team as a long snap...

Aaron Stark grew up in a violently abusive and drug fueled home. By the age of 16 he was overweight, depressed, suicidal, and the victim of endless bullying. His plan was to unleash his pain by becoming a mass shooter, killing dozens and then himself. Now a 40-year-old father and husband, he shares the act that saved his life and countless others that day, and why we have to give love to the peopl...

25-year-old David Byrd was stand-up paddle boarding with his dad on a family vacation in Hawaii when he was brutally attacked by a 12-foot shark and left an amputee.  He spent months undergoing countless reconstructive surgeries. It's been over a year since the accident and for the first time David is speaking publicly about his memories of the attack, the conversation he had with his dad in t...

At 31, Nora McInerny was happily married to a man named Aaron, with a toddler named Ralph and a career in advertising. But in 2014, over the span of 6 weeks, she miscarried her second child, lost her father to cancer and then her husband Aaron to a brain tumor. In this episode, Nora shares, with her trademark honesty and humor, how our Western culture has woefully unprepared us to talk about death...

Sergeant Kevin Briggs is known by many as the “Guardian of the Golden Gate Bridge.” An army veteran with no formal suicide prevention training, Kevin Briggs dissuaded more than 200 people from jumping off the bridge over his 23 years with the California Highway Patrol. With a gentle voice and compassionate lens on the world, Kevin shares his experiences working with people who are in tremendous pa...

Our very own host, Kimi Culp, is interviewed by her friend and former Good Morning America colleague, Holly Gordon about a secret Kimi has kept for over twenty years: her diagnosis of bipolar disorder. In this revealing and highly personal conversation, Kimi describes how she experiences the highs and lows of a manic episode (while balancing a demanding career in journalism!), and why she decided...

Gerardo Lopez grew up in gang territory in Los Angeles, CA. At 14, he joined MS-13 a notoriously dangerous international gang. It took 13 seconds for him to be jumped in, but another decade before street crime and juvenile detention centers would be a thing of his past. Today, Gerardo “Clever” Lopez is a gang interventionist and executive director of Homies Unidos, a non-profit that helps at-risk...

Kristen Gray left her job to be a stay at home mom with her two young girls. In 2015, Charlotte (4) and Gwenyth (2) were diagnosed with Batten disease: a fatal disorder that would leave them blind and unable to walk, play or speak. Kristen and her husband were unwilling to accept this fate. With a breathtaking swell of love and support, they raised millions of dollars to fund the first clinical tr...

After decades of preparation, Bob Woodruff was offered his dream job: the anchor chair at ABC World News Tonight. But less than two months later he was hit by a bomb in Iraq, incurred massive head trauma, and spent 36 days in a coma fighting for his life. When he finally woke up, the famous journalist with a photographic memory could no longer remember the names of his four young children. While B...

Part 2 of 2. Mom, wife and artist Michel Varisco, walks us through the day of her husband Steve Gleason's terminal diagnosis, finding out she was pregnant a month later and what it was like to watch a documentary about her life in a packed theater at Sundance Film Festival. She opens up about the pressure of living up to false expectations, the realities of life as a full time caretaker, their...

Former NFL football player Steve Gleason founded a charity, Team Gleason, helped create the largest ALS research project in history, has a congressional medal of honor, a law passed in his name and is the star of a Super Bowl commercial and film about his life. Most importantly, he is a proud father of two kids -- Rivers and Gray. Steve accomplished all of the above and more while unable to walk,...

Beloved television producer, Monica Escobedo, survived the unthinkable. For the first time, she shares the details of the day she lost her brother, mother and father in a murder-suicide. Monica courageously shares her story of loss, love, intuition and why she chooses to honor her mentally ill brother in spite of his final act. Her strength, honesty and life perspective will leave you astounded an...

Matt is the co-founder and CEO of Omaze. His company has raised over 130 million dollars for charities by auctioning off once in a lifetime experiences — think a walk-on role in Star Wars or being George Clooney’s date on the Red Carpet! He opens up about what changed everything for him: a near death experience that left him flatlining and in a coma. Matt shares how his mom saved his life, his exp...