Kelly Corrigan Wonders

I find the Axios Finish Line newsletter hugely useful. I read it every day without fail. With 2023 graduates in mind, and all the conversations we had on college campuses across the country this spring, let me share and riff on this Finish Line piece that talked about the core skills this class of kids will need going forward. Axios: Sign up for newsletter here Book I mentioned: The Alignment Prob...

How do the values we inherited clash or complement the cultures we come of age in? How can we stay the right size in the world and in our own minds? What do you worship and nurture - art, the church, politics, food? Claire Danes and Kate Bowler join Kelly to talk about all the things that came up as they read Life Worth Living, our first Kelly Corrigan Wonders bookclub pick. Based on Life Worth Li...

This is the story of an oncologist named Amy who diagnosed herself with leukemia in her own lab and a stem cell donor named Brandon who stepped up to save her life. The chances of finding a perfect donor match are extremely small. The chances that the perfect donor would end up living only an hour away are astronomically small - and yet, these two very special people beat the odds in many ways. An...

In a recent high school graduation speech, Kelly shared her take on the things only we know about ourselves and how keeping our internal dialog honest sets the table for a good and happy life. Please share with all the 2023 graduates in your life. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit http...

Welcome to the Kelly Corrigan Wonders “Life Worth Living” Book Club. This is the opening episode, where Kelly and the authors dig into the key questions driving this series: what’s worth doing, who are we responsible to, how should life feel, how should we deal with failures, and what can keep our values and our behavior aligned? Share this with the readers and thinkers in your life. The more peop...

Keith Romano wrote and delivered this eulogy for his father Patrick Romano, a lover of sports who believed that teamwork was always more important than talent. Keith honors his father’s uncompromising values and beliefs, his sense of humor and the example he set for his family…illustrated by the “no look pass” something Patrick always felt was the perfect intersection of teamwork, skill and grace....

Very specific ideas for participating in great conversation wherever you go. This one is meant to help us all live as learners and connectors, not teachers, performers, takers. Because charity counts for more than cleverness. Everything you need to know to join the book club is here. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn m...

How do understanding and approval factor into kindness? Are we only nice to the people we "get"? How can we change the way we think about who is deserving of love, respect and kindness? (hint: it's everyone). Carvell Wallace has thoughts on all of this and more. He's a writer, a thinker and a creative who has written powerful profiles of artists, actors, activists and is also the curious mind behi...

Alex Mallonee wrote this meaningful essay: “Things I Learned From My Mother Through the Art We Made Together”. It’s a look at Alex’s beautiful relationship with his incredible mom Joyce, her 25-year cancer journey and the art project they created together called “Deconstruction”. Joyce’s creativity, desire to collaborate, love and sense of humor fueled the project but more importantly, showed Alex...

Could a single comment from a teacher or a classmate in our youth redefine how we see ourselves and the world forever? Master storyteller Michael Lewis, in a funny excerpt from his conversation with Kelly for PBS’ Tell Me More, makes the case that indeed it could. (Bonus content not included in the previously aired Michael Lewis podcast interview.) Thank you to PBS. This interview can be viewed in...

People say “Stay in your lane” but I don’t buy it. I like people who care about a lot of things, not just winning another NBA championship (I see you Steve Kerr, eyeing #9) or making another world class docu-series (I see you W Kamau Bell, with your devastating Cosby series). I like people who dare to say unpopular things into microphones because they have a platform and they feel compelled to use...

At this time of year, we are knee-deep in sports: college lacrosse, the NBA play-offs and all the golf majors. Where there are sports, there are adjectives describing the athletes and where there are sports championships, those adjectives are garish and piled-high. Kelly wonders if maybe it’s time to use those dazzling descriptors to honor not the elite athletes out there but the army of regular,...

With thanks to listeners who shared stories about their mothers for this special episode, everyone here at Kelly Corrigan Wonders wishes you a Happy Mother’s Day. Produced by Charlie Upchurch. 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

You might know bits and pieces of Jewel’s story. Homeless girl hitchhiking into the lower 48 from Alaska. Making music. Being robbed by her mother. What you might not know is how deeply and wisely she thinks about anxiety. This is one to share with every person you love who is sometimes gripped by panic. Please note that this episode references alcoholism, abuse and suicide. Special thanks to the...

A letter to my children about giving up and when it’s just fine to walk. 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

This episode of Thanks For Being Here began with a voice message left by listener Jennifer Drohan. Jenn explained that while she enjoyed the Live From College series, as the mother of two older children with autism, she found it somewhat painful to listen to…her children will not be going to college. Kelly asked Jenn if she would like to write something we could share and the result was this movin...

Sometimes, even when things go precisely as you hoped they would, change hurts. Kelly was a guest on a podcast called A Slight Change of Plans, hosted by Dr. Maya Shankar, who was curious to know how empty nesting was going. The conversation was so rich that it felt worth sharing here. This one is for every parent you know. Pass it on. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices vi...

Please note that this episode references addiction and suicide. Teri Rose wrote this loving remembrance of her son Ryland. Ryland was a light in this world who struggled with anxiety, depression and addiction. As Teri said, “He didn’t have a drug problem, he had a life problem. He was saddled with depression and anxiety, which led to his trying to make himself feel better and reduce the noise in h...

For a special listener who was just diagnosed, here are some thoughts on the stages of recovery that I encourage you to share with every last person you know who is in treatment for anything. 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

Kelly’s guest is actress and author Constance Wu - you may know her from her roles in the breakthrough tv show Fresh Off the Boat and the blockbuster film Crazy, Rich Asians. Constance shares her experiences as an actress in Hollywood both on and off screen: the privilege and responsibility of representation, being a true artist, navigating social media and an incident which took her to a very dar...

Mary Hope wrote this thoughtful, open-hearted letter to her community to introduce her son Alex - who had previously been known to all as Jenna, her daughter. Kelly Corrigan Wonders listeners will be familiar with Alex’s story as we shared it in the episode “A Mother Son Story of the Ultimate Transition” and it was also replayed it in the For the Good of the Order feed. Today, we’re sharing this l...

Kelly shares her own “go to” mantra as well as two blessings from frequent Kelly Corrigan Wonders guest Kate Bowler and her co-author/friend/podcast producer Jessica Richie’s beautiful and extremely useful book: The Lives We Actually Have (100 Blessings for Imperfect Days). The book is full of warm and witty blessings found within the struggles of our shared humanity, from the New York Times bests...

No one understands what makes a character sing better than Michael Lewis. The Big Short, Moneyball, Liar’s Poker, these stories stand for whole industries because Michael Lewis puts just the right protagonist in the center. He is also the father to three great characters, including Dixie, who was killed in a head on collision in May of 2021. This is one of the most moving and important conversatio...

Barbara Michelman wrote this love letter to her mother Dorthea after she died at 89. Barbara said, “My mom was not one for public displays of emotion, she would have hated me crying at her own service. So, I didn’t read this at her funeral. Instead I stood in front of my church family and cried while reading it.” Barbara’s letter is a beautiful tribute to her hard-working, no-fuss mom who had grit...

One of the nicest things that has happened to me in my professional life is crossing paths with Michael Lewis. I think he is the best storyteller in America and our handful of collaborations have been spectacular experiences for me. Next week you’ll hear a long interview him. Today, in anticipation of that conversation, I wanted to share a piece about grief and the way the mind seeks certainty and...