Kelly Corrigan Wonders

What happens in the first 180 seconds of a fight determine its outcome at least 90% of the time. For real. This is a basic truth that every one of us needs to understand and an episode to share with our partners! Many thanks to Drs. Julie and John Gottman for four decades of work and their new book, Fight Right. Special thanks to the Arthur Vining Davis Foundations. Receive our weekly takeaways ev...

Moni Guzman came to the US from Mexico with her family many decades ago. In the past two presidential elections, her parents voted for Trump while she voted for Clinton and Biden. This created the kind of tension that must be managed very carefully. Fortunately, and relatedly, Moni has professional experience with difficult conversations in her capacity as a senior fellow at Braver Angels. We lean...

Meghan Jarvis’ beautiful story of what happened as she holed herself up in a friend’s home to write her mother’s eulogy. This is for anyone who has written a eulogy and knows what an emotionally fraught yet transformative time it can be. (Previously aired) Note that we have changed our email address from the one mentioned in this past episode. If you would like to reach out to us, please use: hell...

Does someone you love vote for someone you really do not love? This is a short piece about getting along from a book I found super valuable: I Never Thought Of It That Way by Monica Guzman. She and her parents found themselves in opposite camps and needed a set of practices to make sure their rupture did not ever become beyond repair. To receive a short set of our weekly takeaways in your email, s...

Every so often, Kelly Corrigan Wonders will make space in our feed for someone else’s podcast. In this case, Kelly is sharing a conversation between two former guests — Dan Harris and Bryan Stevenson — because we can never think about the hard work of justice enough. Enjoy. To receive a short set of our weekly takeaways in your email, sign up here. To learn more about listener data and our privacy...

Reflecting on the persistence and challenge of change as a way of life and a few deep dives into very specific changes with writer, activist and community leader Jen Hatmaker. If you enjoyed listening to my conversation this week with Jen Hatmaker and you haven’t already listened to the episode we did together in May of 2021, please check it out - it’s been one of the most listened to pods we’ve e...

Today’s Thanks For Being Here features an excerpt from the book Normal Broken: The Grief Companion for When It's Time to Heal but You're Not Sure You Want To. Since 2018, Kelly Cervantes has candidly chronicled her evolution through grief, parenting her medically complex daughter, Adelaide, who passed away from epilepsy just days before her 4th birthday. Weeks later, the Cervantes family was uproo...

It can be really hard to interpret the signals our bodies send us. Does stress mean we should run? Does discomfort mean something is going wrong? Today’s mini pod unpacks one of the top social science findings from the Greater Good Science Center. (Previously aired) To receive a short set of our weekly takeaways in your inbox, subscribe at www.kellycorrigan.com/takeaways. To learn more about liste...

The word is EVERYWHERE. Happiness. I don’t even always believe that it’s a worthy goal honestly, but that might be a matter of semantics. How you define happiness defines how you approach it. This is a careful conversation with Gretchen Rubin that’s based on what research and experience tell us makes a life that feels pretty satisfying most of the time. Gretchen wrote The Happiness Project 15 year...

Alisha Goldblatt submitted her short, beautifully written poem, “Parenting 101”, which likens parenting to a class - one which is particularly tough but oh so worthwhile. To receive a short set of our weekly takeaways in your inbox, subscribe at www.kellycorrigan.com/takeaways. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more ab...

What’s the point of slowing down, noticing, directing your attention to small wonders? Kelly celebrates the work of Dacher Keltner on AWE. (Replay of Ep 77 which originally aired on January 6, 2023) To receive a short set of our weekly takeaways in your inbox, subscribe at www.kellycorrigan.com/takeaways. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/...

Living in an optimization culture is making parenting much more complicated than it need be. Or so says Dr. Aliza Pressman, author of The Five Principles of Parenting and the host of Raising Good Humans, who spends a lot of time with the latest research and a lot of time with parents in clinic. Today’s conversation is about exactly what does and does not protect us from the worst health outcomes a...

In honor of our 100th Thanks for Being Here episode, I wrote a love letter to Tammy, whose name you hear at the end of every podcast. She is my trusted, beloved, essential thought partner on almost all matters, professional and personal. Here’s why… (Suggested share: to someone in your life that makes your whole world work better.) To receive the weekly Top Takeaways in your inbox subscribe to our...

A lovely story about a neighborhood in Baltimore has been circulating this week. Like so many people, I was moved. For today’s very quick “Go To”, I wanted to underline one unusual choice that made all this beauty possible: the minute Kim Morton decided to say something real. (Replay of Ep 23 which originally aired on December 24, 2021.) To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices...

“He may die but he’s alive now and we are going to enjoy this moment together.” This is theology professor Lee C. Camp sharing the turning point of his life as a father of a child who was unwell and is now, thankfully, in recovery. A tender and unguarded conversation, laced with a few existential bombs, to inspire better, less angry days for all of us. Check out Lee’s podcast and live show both ca...

This essay has never before been shared outside of Julia Ogden’s family but fortunately for us, she has decided to share it with the Thanks For Being Here audience. It’s a look at her daughter’s OCD diagnosis and how managing a mental illness has challenged and changed their entire family - including in some unexpected and very positive ways. (Replay of Ep 79 which originally aired on 7/30/23.) To...

It’s here: the time of year when we mix it up with family. Good to keep a little forgiveness handy. This episode was made to share. (Replay of Ep 70 which originally aired on November 18, 2022.) To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Mary Louise Kelly (host of NPR’s All Things Considered) has been doing some reflecting. What choices did she make and how do they look now, as her nest is nearly empty? Is it okay to travel through war zones when a kid is home with the flu? What is gained and what is lost, for the individuals in question and for society? This is a conversation to take in slowly, to share with every mother you know...

Natalie Silverstein honors the relationship she shared with her mother, who passed away in October of 2021 at the age of 90. Quite often, it is the simplest things that we remember the most when a loved one is gone. In this case, Natalie reflects on the almost daily, brief phone calls she and her mother shared and details a walk through a grocery store which stirs up memories of her mother in ever...

Confessions and thoughts on all the ways our biases mess up how we think and how that locks us into boring, no-growth positions from the stage of The Nantucket Project, a great weekend-long think session with some of the nicest people I have ever met. (You should meet me there next year, Sept 26-29, 2024.) To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com...

Well, if you need something to help you believe in people’s ability to affect outcomes, if you need a reason for hope that America could be a less unequal place, if you want a good news story about hard work and its proper rewards, this is it. That’s really all I want to say. I loved this story, this guest and this conversation. Okay, so some more things I could tell you: Pete Stavros has a huge p...

Anyone who has lost a parent knows that in addition to deep sadness, quite often the loss can bring up many other complicated emotions. It can, however, also provide unexpected gifts. Anne Murphy submitted this moving essay detailing the time just prior to her father’s death. In his final moments of lucidity, as he reflected on his life, Anne’s dad gave her the gifts of his wisdom, an apology and...

With a special nod to every high school senior hearing back from colleges right about now, here are a few thoughts I share every chance I get about how to respond to news of all types. (Replay of Ep 86 which originally aired on March 10, 2023.) To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https:/...

This is an episode that will set your heart right. We know that the #1 driver of human happiness across time and culture is meaningful connection to others. So, how to get more of that? David Brooks has some ideas, pulled from his newest book How to Know a Person. Please share widely as the more people around us who are oriented toward connection, the better for all. Thanks to PBS and AmeriHealth...

The thing about being the neighbor across the street is that you are always looking out at the home you face. That was a gift for one young family who watched and learned how to live life to the fullest from their beloved neighbors Joan and Doug Smith. This beautiful letter honors the Smiths who moved away after many years in their family home. To learn more about listener data and our privacy pra...