Call Me Friend

Grief, loss, career reinvention, and starting over after tragedy take center stage in this powerful conversation with journalist and author Alisyn Camerota. When life changes in an instant, how do you rebuild, find purpose, and move forward? In this emotional episode of Call Me Friend , Daryn Kagan sits down with Alisyn to unpack what it really takes to navigate loss, trauma, and major life transi...

Daryn Kagan reconnects with longtime friend and NFL sideline reporter Laura Okmin to explore career burnout, finding purpose, and building real confidence. Named to Sports Illustrated’s list of the most powerful, influential women in sports, Laura discusses why she trains other women for sideline roles, how she handles pressure, and what friendship gives her in moments of doubt. Listen for candid...

He thought the call was spam. Hours later, he was standing in a hospital NICU meeting a two-pound baby fighting for his life. Adoption, fatherhood, healing, and the power of intentional love are at the heart of this emotional episode of Call Me Friend. Host Daryn Kagan connects with content creator, writer, and single father Darren Graham to explore a life-changing story about foster care, adoptio...

When life delivers unthinkable loss, what happens next can change everything. Cancer survival, grief and healing, a mother-daughter business, resilience after loss, and turning pain into purpose and connection are all discussed on this episode of Call Me Friend , featuring Laura Stachler and her daughter Susan Stachler. This is an inside-out story of grief, resilience, and purpose. After losing La...

Reinvention after 70 is not about starting over, it’s about evolving with clarity and courage. On Call Me Friend, Daryn Kagan calls bestselling author Mary Kay Andrews for a raw, honest conversation about aging boldly, personal loss, career pivots, and finally saying what matters most. Mary Kay shares how she transitioned from newspaper journalism to writing more than 30 bestselling novels, why lo...

Dating after 40 and being single can feel exhausting in modern dating culture. On Call Me Friend, Daryn Kagan talks with dating coach Treva Brandon Scharf about dating burnout and finding love later in life without losing yourself. Treva shares her late-bloomer love story, why being single does not mean something is wrong with you, and how releasing pressure can actually create space for real conn...

What happens when life knocks you down and you choose service instead of fear? Host Daryn Kagan sits down with hospice singer Kevin Dunn, a man whose life changed forever after losing his job, hearing a calling to serve, and spending over 23 years singing for patients at a hospice in West Georgia. What started as a moment of uncertainty became a lifelong mission of compassion, faith, and human con...

Second chances change lives. In this deeply moving episode of Call Me Friend , host Daryn Kagan pulls back the curtain on a moment few people ever see: a surprise grant award that changes everything. What begins as a routine follow-up interview turns into a life-altering moment for Jimmy Erickson, a father, student, and recovering addict doing everything he can to build a better future for his fam...

Who do you call when life gets real? When the good news hits, the heartbreak lands, or you're just having one of those days—you call a friend. That’s the heartbeat of Call Me Friend —a feel good bi-weekly podcast that drops you into the kind of conversations that remind us who we are, where we belong, and why friendship matters. Hosted by former network news anchor, wife, mom, and Airbnb host Dary...

What if the most heart hitting story connected to the Savannah Bananas had nothing to do with baseball, trick plays, or viral hijinks, but everything to do with family and purpose? In this friendship podcast conversation, Daryn sits down with co-owner Emily Cole to uncover the behind the scenes truth that shaped the Savannah Bananas brand from the inside out. This episode pulls you straight into t...

When the world stopped on 9/11, millions saw Carol Lin on their screens… but no one saw what she was surviving off camera. In this gripping Call Me Friend conversation, Daryn reconnects with her former CNN colleague to uncover the truth behind Carol’s marriage, motherhood, identity, grief, and the hidden story behind her memoir, When News Breaks . Carol Lin opens up about the pressure of broadcast...

What if the friend who transforms your entire life does not show up until your sixties? Two women share a life changing friendship that leads to an 80 day trip at 81. In this inspiring episode of Call Me Friend, Daryn sits down with Ellie Hamby and Dr. Sandy Hazelip, the viral duo known as The Traveling Nanas , to explore how their friendship transformed grief into adventure and joy. After losing...

A 70-year-old humanitarian, a 1953 Chevy truck, and Route 66 unite for ShelterBox. Don Crost drives 2,500 miles to spotlight disaster relief, friendship, and doing good, proving it is never too late to chase a purpose. Join Daryn as Don shares why he set a $25,000 goal for ShelterBox’s 25th anniversary, how that vintage truck handled the journey from Evanston to Santa Barbara, and what ShelterBox...

CNN’s John King, famous for election night coverage at the Magic Wall, opens up about living with multiple sclerosis, how MS shapes his daily life, and why hope and healing keep him going. CNN’s John King is known worldwide for guiding viewers through presidential elections on CNN with the Magic Wall. But behind the political maps and election coverage is a personal battle with multiple sclerosis...

Bestselling author Kristin Harmel opens up about losing and rebuilding identity during breast cancer treatment, and the friendships that carried her through it. Daryn and Kristin chat about asking for help, receiving it without guilt, and letting friends hold your hope when you cannot. Kristin reflects on her comeback to writing, how community fuels creative recovery, and the small habits that kep...

Addiction recovery and second chances aren’t easy, but Scottie Bowman proves they’re possible. In this episode of Call Me Friend , Daryn Kagan calls her friend Scottie to share how she went from a 12-day drug and alcohol binge on the streets of Atlanta to 24 years of sobriety. Today, Scottie is not only a successful restaurant owner in Chattanooga, but also the founder of The Launchpad, a nonprofi...

What does it take to rise from childhood bullying, Tourette syndrome, and the fear of never making it to national television, to becoming one of the most beloved Contributor in America? In this episode of Call Me Friend , host Daryn Kagan sits down with CBS News contributor David Begnaud to explore his extraordinary journey of resilience, authenticity, and second chances. David opens up about grow...

Two dads share raw stories of grief, single fatherhood, and healing while building friendship and hope after loss. In this episode of Call Me Friend , host Daryn Kagan connects with David McClain and Jamal Jones, two fathers who each lost their wives to cancer and her husband Trent, who walked a similar path. Together, they open up about parenting through grief, rediscovering love, and starting th...

From CNBC to Money Rehab, Nicole Lapin brings a powerful story of financial resilience, personal finance mastery, and rebuilding after loss. In this episode of the Call Me Friend podcast, host Daryn Kagan sits down with Nicole to explore her journey from becoming the youngest anchor at CNBC to privately battling debt, making financial literacy accessible to all, and starting over after the devasta...

Second chances, lightning strike survival, and overcoming adversity take center stage in this powerful episode of the Call Me Friend Podcast. Host Daryn Kagan welcomes Richard Rogers, a lightning strike survivor who faced death and lived to share his inspiring second chance story. Joined by Alberto, founder of West Texas Barber Academy, they share how second chances change lives and fuel missions...

Deborah Norville reveals the real reason she left Inside Edition after 30 years and what sparked her most unexpected career transition yet. In her most in depth and revealing conversation to date, Deborah sits down with longtime friend and fellow broadcaster Daryn Kagan to share what really happened behind the scenes. Was it truly her choice? What condition did her bosses refuse to meet? And what...

Two American sisters. Their mother's plea from her deathbed to finish her memoir leads them shockingly to their Nazi-linked grandfather. A Gracie Award-winning podcast. In this unforgettable Call Me Friend episode, host Daryn Kagan talks with Suzanne and Stephanie Rico about their gripping podcast The Man Who Calculated Death , exploring family legacy, Nazi Germany, and the truth hidden in a dying...

From CNN anchors to lifelong friends, Daryn Kagan and Bill Hemmer reunite to toast decades of broadcast journalism, newsroom camaraderie, and life lessons. What happens when your “arranged marriage” at work turns into a real friendship? In this heartfelt and hilarious episode of Call Me Friend , host Daryn Kagan reconnects with her former CNN co-anchor, now Fox News host, Bill Hemmer. Their candid...

What do gay boyfriends, heartbreak, and funnel cake have in common? They led to a real-life love story about friendship , second chances, and finally finding a husband. This friendship podcast and love story podcast dives into dating after heartbreak, single parent dating, and the surprising ways connection can show up when you least expect it. In this episode of Call Me Friend , host Daryn Kagan...

They were both widowed young, left to raise children alone, carry the weight of grief, and somehow start again. But through love and one selfless act, a butterfly effect of friendship and connection reshaped three families forever. This friendship podcast and organ transplant story explores how kidney donation, grief recovery, and resilience brought people together in ways no one could predict. Th...