Cultural Controversy and Our Lives with Shannon Fisher

Shannon spoke with revered environmental activist Erin Brockovich about our nation's water crisis. We assume our water supply is safe because it is tested and treated by municipalities, but that isn't always the case.  Discovering impurities in a municipal water supply, and ultimately ensuring the situation is rectified, requires persistence, research, and commitment from community members. With t...

Shannon Fisher welcomes acclaimed author Clancy Martin to discuss his new book, HOW NOT TO KILL YOURSELF: A PORTRAIT OF THE SUICIDAL MIND . This memoir powerfully depicts a mindset that is incomprehensible to many: the earnest contemplation of suicide. Offering an intimate glimpse of Clancy's personal reality for those trying to understand this concept, and comfort and commiseration for readers wh...

Shannon welcomes Colin Dickey to the show to discuss his new book, UNDER THE EYE OF POWER: How Fear of Secret Societies Shapes American Democracy. Dickey is the author of several books on hidden histories, a regular contributor to The New Republic, and a professor of creative writing at National University.  UNDER THE EYE OF POWER explores the role secret societies and conspiracy theories played i...

Start by Believing reveals the win-at-all-costs culture in elite athletics and higher education that enabled a quarter century of heinous crimes. For decades, osteopathic physician Larry Nassar was the go-to doctor for America's Olympians. Within this high-pressure world of competitive gymnastics, Nassar sexually assaulted and exploited hundreds of young girls under the guise of medical treatment....

Encore Presentation of an important issue facing so many people in today's world. Shannon Fisher welcomes Harvard Medical School Instructor Dr. Jim Hopper on the 50th episode of The Authentic Woman. The two discuss the neurobiology of trauma - the manner in which the brain responds to physical or psychological trauma. This show examines the scientific reasons those who have experienced or are expe...

Shannon welcomes Philip Mudd, former Deputy Director of the CIA Counterterrorism Center and the FBI National Security Branch. He is also often seen as a commentator on CNN. His book, BLACK SITE: The CIA in the Post-9/11 World , explores the creation and management of the secret CIA detention centers and "The Program" of enhanced interrogation techniques used following the September 11 attacks.  Mu...

Physician Maureen Michele was faced with a medical challenge from an unexpected perspective: that of a parent. When her daughter received two different life-altering diagnoses, Maureen was already managing a full plate of career, household, and family responsibilities. Managing her daughter’s chronic serious illnesses tested her mettle in ways she could not have imagined, and the journey strengthe...

Critically-acclaimed Science-Fiction author David Williams joins Shannon Fisher to discuss his multifaceted journey through the publishing landscape. Williams has written a host of long and short works of both fiction and nonfiction, which gives him a unique perspective on the publishing industry and the writing process as a whole. His work as a Pastor at Poolesville Presbyterian Church informs hi...

Shannon talks to Maryam Henein, director of the award-winning film Vanishing of the Bees. This documentary, filmed across four continents, examines the mysterious disappearance of honeybees across the planet. The two will discuss this disappearance and the crisis (Colony Collapse Disorder) it has created for beekeepers who rely on bees to pollinate the fruits and vegetables being grown around the...

Shannon welcomes Judy Batalion to talk about her new book, which was an instant New York Times bestseller, THE LIGHT OF DAYS: The Untold Story of Women Resistance Fighters in Hitler’s Ghettos .  The book chronicles a group of unsung-until-now resistance fighters in World War II: young Jewish women in Poland who used every tool at their disposal to escape from and win battles against Nazis. The sto...

Shannon Fisher welcomes Dr. Leslie Ann Jones, Medical Director at Woodlake Animal Hospital , to discuss alternative medicine for pets. In her veterinary practice, Dr. Jones combines Eastern medical techniques—like acupuncture, medical manipulation, and herbal remedies—with Western medicine to provide comprehensive care for her patients. This conversation dives into the fundamentals of these healin...

This podcast re-posted with permission from the National Press Club. To see the original podcast page for this episode, please go to the NPC website: https://www.press.org/newsroom/cnns-john-king-breaks-down-2020-election-coverage With a field of primary candidates as large as the Democrats’ in 2020, keeping up-to-date with election news is challenging. The process is even more daunting for politi...

Don Mancini created the character of Chucky and has written, directed, and/or produced every film in the Child's Play franchise. In this podcast, Don tells Shannon how his career began, why he loves horror movies, and what it's like working in television. He also dishes about future Child's Play projects in the works!  Our Lives with Shannon Fisher explores personal, political, and societal p...

This podcast re-posted with permission from the National Press Club. To see the original podcast page for this episode, please go to the NPC website: https://www.press.org/newsroom/presidential-candidate-talks-about-medias-coverage-2024-race The paramount role of the press in presidential elections is to inform the public about the issues and their voting options, and to act as a watchdog over gov...

Historian Scott Satterwhite joins Shannon Fisher to discuss his book, A PUNKHOUSE IN THE DEEP SOUTH: THE ORAL HISTORY OF 309. For nine years, Satterwhite was among the residents who called a house at 309 6th Avenue in Pensacola, Florida home. With the help of donors, he has since purchased the property to restore it and preserve the history of the subculture that made the 309 Punkhouse a crossroad...

This podcast re-posted with permission from the National Press Club. To see the original podcast page for this episode, please go to the NPC website:   https://www.press.org/news-multimedia/audio/cybersecurity-journalists    Journalists are especially vulnerable to hackers trying to access sensitive, confidential data. With growing threats against press freedom around the world, rep...

Shannon's guest today is Dr. Elijah Anderson , the Sterling Professor of Sociology and African American Studies at Yale University and the 2021 winner of the Stockholm Prize in Criminology. They discuss Dr. Anderson's latest book, Black in White Space: The Enduring Impact of Color in Everyday Life . If you have wondered what it is like for Black people to navigate spaces typically inhabite...

Shannon welcomes Kristen Henning, an attorney who has spent 25 years representing Black youth in the juvenile courts of Washington, D.C. Henning also serves as the Juvenile Justice Clinic & Initiative Director at Georgetown University. The two discuss Henning's book, The Rage of Innocence: How America Criminalizes Black Youth, which examines America's societal fear of Black children and what c...

Shannon welcomes media superstar Pat Mitchell to the show today. Pat was the first female President of both PBS and CNN Productions, and she has been a champion for women in media for decades. In her recent memoir, Becoming a Dangerous Woman: Embracing Risk to Change the World , Pat offers excellent career advice and opens up about her unexpected career trajectory – and the importance of taking ri...

Shannon welcomes Facebook Whistleblower Frances Haugen to discuss the dramatic human cost she discovered resulting from Facebook's algorithm and global policies. An expert in Algorithmic product management, Haugen disclosed tens of thousands of pages of internal Facebook documents to the Securities and Exchange Commission and The Wall Street Journal, revealing that Facebook was both aware and...

Shannon welcomes Historian Lawrence Goldstone to discuss his vivid portrait of the systematic suppression of the African American vote. The book traces the injustices of the post-Reconstruction era and examines the legal cases that made the Supreme Court a partner of white supremacists in the rise of Jim Crow. Goldstone brilliantly draws direct links to today's creeping threats to suffrage in this...

Shannon welcomes Chipp Kidd, a graphic artist and author of a new book, Only What's Necessary: Charles M. Schultz and the Art of Peanuts .   Only What's Necessary is filled with original art from the Charles M. Schultz archives, detailing his career from sketches as a child to his retirement from Peanuts . Shannon and Chip discuss Schultz' life from the perspective of his art. Our Lives with...

Jaime Guttenberg was one of the 17 people killed during the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School shooting on Valentine's Day 2018 in Parkland, Florida in. Her father, Fred Guttenberg , speaks with Shannon Fisher about his experiences in the days and weeks following the shooting.  The title of Guttenberg's new book, Find the Helpers , was inspired by the famous Fred Rogers quote , "Always look...

Shannon welcomes Zombies, Run! game designer Adrian Hon to discuss the "gamification" of society. In his book, You’ve Been Played: How Corporations, Governments, and Schools Use Games To Control Us All , Hon reveals how points, badges, and leaderboards are creeping into every aspect of modern life. The book is a blistering takedown of the manner in which corporate, organizational, and go...

The United States is facing an affordable housing crisis, and Shannon welcomes sociologist Andrew Ross for a discussion about his latest book, Sunbelt Blues: The Failure of American Housing . The book examines the housing crisis through the lens of a central Florida county in Disney World's back yard, offering perspectives on the experiences of people who find themselves homelessness, or on the br...