Blue Sky

This is a special encore presentation of the very first episode of Blue Sky!  This conversation with David Gardner first aired in March of 2023 and is still one of our favorites.   David Gardner discusses a wide range of topics, from the relationship between optimism and entrepreneurship to developing an investment strategy with an eye towards your own positive vision for the future, to David's ou...

Today, Lee Ellis is an acclaimed and accomplished author and leadership coach.  But in 1967, while flying a combat mission over North Vietnam, he was shot down, captured, and held as a prisoner of war for five-and-a-half years at the "Hanoi Hilton," where his group of fellow prisoners included the late Senator John McCain.  and on this Blue Sky episode, Colonel Lee Ellis shares his incredible stor...

Theodore (Ted) R. Johnson served twenty years in the United States Navy before becoming a columnist and author.  His latest book, If We Are Brave is a collection of essays on race in America, and in this Blue Sky conversation, Ted describes his pragmatic optimism and belief that the United States has in its founding ideals the path towards forming a "more perfect union."  Ted's personal story is r...

Lee Woodruff and her husband Bob were, in many ways, on top of the world.  She was with her children at Walt Disney World while Bob was overseas in one of his first news gathering assignments after being named a co-anchor of ABC World News Tonight.  Everything changed in an instant when the vehicle Bob was traveling in hit a roadside bomb and he sustained a traumatic brain injury.  From there, Lee...

This is a special encore edition of an episode which first aired in March of 2023.  In the time since then, our guest has added yet another best-selling book to his list of titles, "How Leaders Learn."     David Novak has had a remarkably successful career and one that was defined by his boundless enthusiasm and contagious sense of optimism.  He describes in this episode that he's never come acros...

Known in the science community primarily for her work as a geneticists and epidemiologist with a focus on oncology, Immaculata De Vivo seems like an unlikely person to co-Author a book called, "The Biology of Kindness."  But the more she understood the role that behavior played in our wellbeing and that it can even have an impact on our DNA structures, the more she wanted to write her findings in...

The husband and wife team of Mary Louise and Bruce Cohen have impressive backgrounds in law and government and for the past ten years, they've used their skills to advance the cause of skilled refugees around the world.  The organization they co-founded, Talent Beyond Boundaries (TBB), identifies refugees with marketable skills and places them in a talent database that matches them with eager empl...

At a time in her life that should have been one of her happiest – just prior to her wedding – Christina Menkemeller developed frightening symptoms and was given a devastating diagnosis.   In the wake of this news, Christina's fiancé Cardin never wavered in his commitment and the newlywed couple decided to take a yearlong trip that would change the course of their lives.  After facing the understan...

Dr. Liz Henry is highly-regarded professional in the fields of pediatrics and parenting and in this Blue Sky conversation, she shares her views on everything from technology, drugs and alcohol, whether it's tougher to be a kid today, and more.  The content is relevant for kids, current parents, past parents, and even adults who might take this information and cut their own parents a little slack. ...

Note for Encore Presentation:  This episode originally dropped in April of 2023 and in the time since, you've no doubt heard Bill quote from Kevin – and his latest book – on numerous occasions.  If you heard this one when it debuted last year, I do think it's worth another listen, and if this is your first time, we promise you're in for a treat.      The legendary Kevin Kelly shares his optimistic...

Alexandra "Lexi" Hudson was raised by a philosopher father and a mother who is a recognized manners expert.  As a result, she has spent much of her life contemplating what forms of behavior constitute "the good life," and lead to human flourishing.  Following a disheartening stint working in government and seeing even spotty incidents of politeness masking an underlying incivility, she was driven...

Tim Fitzpatrick learned about healthcare the hard way, as a long-term inpatient undergoing a battery of surgeries to address injuries sustained while serving as a pilot in the US Navy.  After recovering and leaving the service, Tim was an equities trader for a bank, and after learning more about new media technologies, then meeting a physician who was pioneering virtual reality in healthcare, Tim...

Raul Espinoza's father had many talents, but an equal number of demons.  He struggled with addiction and was abusive to Raul's mother as well as to him and his siblings.  At the early age of ten, Raul decided he would take a different path and vowed not to drink and to treat women with respect.  He has stayed true to this pledge and now, at the age of 38, Raul Espinoza is the executive director an...

Note for this encore presentation: While much of our discussion centered on Professor Pinker's views on how the world continues to improve while we have trouble believing it, he also goes into details about his concerns about the state of public discourse on college campuses. He and I conducted this interview in June of 2023, several months before the conflict between Hamas and Israel began, and s...

Dr. Hasan Merali came to admire toddlers when he began working with kids in a hospital emergency department.  Seeing their remarkable resilience, optimism, and courage in the face of adversity led him to think about ways we as adults can learn from these young people.  The result is his great book, "Sleep Well, Take Risks, Squish the Peas: Secrets from the Science of Toddlers for a Happier, More S...

Teju Ravilochan was born in the United States, just two years after his parents came to this country from their native India.  His parents went on to careers in medicine, but only after help from several corners of their adopted community.  Growing up, they taught these lessons to their son, and today Teju is the founder of GatherFor, a non-profit dedicated to the belief that "in community, we hav...

Note for this encore presentation: We're bringing back this conversation in honor of Immigrant Heritage Month in the United States.  Anh and her family left their home country in the most dramatic of circumstances and in the nearly 50 years since they came to this country, their accomplishments have been extraordinary.    The family of Anh Vu Sawyer were among the small number of South Vietnamese...

Kate Bean's life has been marked by a series of radical changes and transformations.  After founding and running a successful non-profit that launched and oversaw charter schools while leading a national movement towards personalized education Kate decided to make a change.  She retired from her position, tricked out a minivan and headed out so see the country, inspired by Gandhi's advice that, "T...

John Daniel has led a remarkable and inspiring life, marked by challenges that he's met with grit and resilience.  John's alcoholic father struggled to find work but his loving mom made sure her nine children always had the support they needed.  John emerged from his childhood to become a successful banking executive with a successful marriage and thriving children.  But following his own diagnosi...

Pete Davis was a young undergraduate college student when he took a class from Professor Robert Putnam.  By this time, Dr. Putnam was an academic celebrity, based largely on the huge success of his seminal work on social capital, Bowling Alone .  In the time since, Pete has made advocating for more civic engagement the focus of his work and in addition to writing the book, Dedicated: The Case for...

On the "Well…Adjusting" podcast, author, actor, and funny lady Robin Hopkins is joined each episode by people who are struggling with a wide range of issues, from how to manage stress, set some boundaries, find a new apartment, and save a dime or two.  On occasion, she'll invite a "guest expert" to join to add their own insights and advice.  For this episode, the person with the challenge is Robin...

Note for this encore presentation: At the time that we celebrated our one year/50th episode in March of 2024, this episode was our most listened to.  We bring it back now as part of The Optimism Institute's recognition of National Mental Health Month and hope Blue Sky fans will enjoy and benefit from this wise, kind, and experienced professor.     Like most neuroscientists, until a little more tha...

Nearly 45 years ago, Billy Starr lost his mother, an uncle, and a cousin, all to cancer.  Looking for a purpose and outlet for his grief, he and a small circle of friends decided to take a long bike ride across most of the state of Massachusetts, while raising money for cancer research.  That first "event," in 1980, raised just over $10,000.   But that was just beginning, and through the years sin...

Squash – the game, not the vegetable – has long been seen as a "country club" sport.  But Barrett Takesian is on a mission to transform the sport's reputation while building community in his adopted hometown of Portland, Maine.  For the past 11 years, Barrett has worked to create and build Portland Community Squash, a unique gathering place for people of all ages, backgrounds, and income levels. ...

Daniel Stone explains that today's politically-polarized environment began taking shape way back in the 1980's.  Today, he says, we have an increase in what's been described as "affective biases," in which people move from disagreeing with the ideas of another, to disliking the person themselves, for having these beliefs.  It's a dangerous trend, he believes, and among other things, Daniel Stone r...