Kelly Corrigan Wonders

Yale offers a class called Life Worth Living, taught in part by an irresistible religion professor named Miroslav Volf, who has pulled readings from the ages into a curriculum that asks students to reflect on what makes a life “good.” As Miroslav says, “we’ve become experts at means but amateurs at ends.” This is a conversation to share with everyone in your immediate circles. To learn more about...

Michelle Hurst celebrates her husband and their marriage on the occasion of their 20th Anniversary. From 23 year-old newlyweds finding their way in the world to 43 year-old’s who have shared a puppy, kids, a mortgage and decades of meaningful memories - they have navigated it all together. Michelle says: “I knew he was ‘home’ that’s the only word I have ever used to describe him.” To learn more ab...

I moderated a panel of public media professionals recently and scribbled pages of notes as they talked through the pivotal moments in their careers. Absolutely had to share these 5 takeaways for anyone who is wondering what’s next and how am I gonna get there? (Replay) To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your...

One of the most popular professors at Boston College is a woman named Biz Bracher. She teaches a course that wonders about ethics, society and the individual. She asks her students to think hard about their potential as citizens and contributors. She drills down on the biggest questions we face: What am I good at? Who am I called to become? This is a conversation that serves all of us, whether we’...

Jim Doherty eulogized his friend David McCarthy, “number 2”, at the dedication of a baseball field, 30 years after his death. David was one of the good guys, a great friend to many with an incredible aura. The spirit of life within him was evident on the baseball and football field, in the classroom and when he was surrounded by his large group of friends. To learn more about listener data and our...

Ages ago, M Scott Peck (of The Road Less Traveled) studied success (personal and professional) and was surprised to discover that all the people in his study had one thing in common: they all report the exact same “most important” thing. As I sink into the reality of an empty nest, I felt the need to remind myself that it is not my children’s job (nor is it Edward’s) to make me happy. Hope you fin...

As a parent writing a whole lot of tuition checks, Kelly came to the conversation with a long list of questions. What’s the best college can be? What’s a typical experience? Who gets the most out of campus life? What’s the link between education and democracy? What’s fair to expect and why on Earth is it so damn expensive? Andy Delbanco of Columbia has thought, talked and written as much about the...

Darin Ishimatsu eulogizes his mother and lifelong teacher Carole. As a shy and reserved boy, Carole’s energy and enthusiasm brought out the very best in her son. She always pursued the finest the world had to offer whether it was food, coffee, museums or symphonies. Carole was a lady who was full of spunk, had strong opinions and gave so much of herself to her beloved students and family. To learn...

The final week of a 3-part mini series with Julie Lythcott-Haims where Kelly drops a specific, real life parenting challenge on the table and two moms talk it out. This week: teaching kids how to make, save and spend money. 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/a...

Kelly and renowned writer Susan Orlean talk about transitions in family life — including the big one of becoming an empty nester. In this replay of a fan favorite, Kelly shares memories of early days with young children in this very personal episode. Please subscribe, rate and review us wherever you listen to podcasts! We read and appreciate every review. You can follow the conversation with Kelly...

In this heartfelt eulogy which Katie Toungette wrote for her son Eli, she talks about setting a workout plan for life based on Eli’s love of training. Eli loved to laugh, to love, to learn and to race so fast, it seemed like he was flying. So, Katie suggests taking life in 15 minute increments and getting in more “reps” of what’s important: laugh more, hug longer, learn everything possible and fin...

Looking at micro-moments in family life with Julie Lythcott-Haims who believes good parenting means giving kids a lot of choice — and all the accompanying consequences too. This week: how to deal when a kid wants to quit the team, the after school job, the violin lessons? To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about yo...

There’s a lot to learn about how to help (or let) a kid become an adult from someone who worked with Stanford students for 10 years, not to mention someone who wrestles with every major moment in parenting herself. Julie Lythcott-Haims is the author of How to Raise an Adult and Your Turn: How to Be an Adult and is as honest as they come. This is one to play on repeat. If you loved this conversatio...

Beth Trutner wrote this poignant letter to her father in the middle of the night after one of his trips to the hospital. The letter is a meditation on aging: Beth honors her once vital and independent dad who loved to hike, sail, bike and play golf but also acknowledges the many changes to his body and mind in his 93rd year. Her love for her dad is evident as she recalls time spent hiking with him...

Every Friday for the next 3 weeks, Kelly takes a small but real parenting challenge to her friend Julie Lythcott-Haims, the author of some very good books. This week we’re talking about how to decide when to intervene and when to let the shit hit the fan when our kids are traveling. They missed the train. They lost their luggage. The Uber didn’t show. And so, the ideal parental response is…what? [...

To understand the brain’s function and methods is to get some much needed distance from family dynamics so that we might understand them more fully. Lisa Feldman Barrett has been researching and writing about how emotions are made for many years. Kelly and Lisa met on the set of Tell Me More for PBS and they have been talking ever since, particularly about how neuroscience informs parenting. This...

Tim and Julie Vasquez submitted two lovely essays that Tim wrote when it was time to send their sons off to college. We loved both and today we’re airing the first one called, “The Drive to Oregon”. It’s a beautiful reminder to us all that although the destination is important, it’s the journey that really matters. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.auda...

Katy Milkman caught my ear when she said: unsolicited advice is demotivating. She’s at U Penn’s Wharton’s school and does a lot of research on behavior change, including with young adults. Her book is called How To Change and along with people like Angela Duckworth, The New York Times and Charles Duhigg, I highly recommend it. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: http...

How do toddlers become tweens who become teens who take themselves so seriously, they get right to work on the biggest, hairiest problem on planet earth? We start with Stanford student Sophia Kianni, known as the family megaphone, the one who started every argument, and then sit down with Colorado State’s 2019 Outstanding Professor of the Year, Dr. Emily Fischer. To stay up to date with non-partis...

Joy Netanya Thompson submitted this moving eulogy for her paternal grandmother Zelda, a Holocaust survivor who endured so much and yet threw her arms open to life. Zelda danced at every opportunity and basked in the presence of her grandchildren like they were sunshine. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your...

Thanks to the team at Reasons to be Cheerful, a feed and website started by my old friend from an interview I did for PBS, David Byrne, I have learned of a story that proves what I so desperately need to believe: one person can move an organization, a country, a continent. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about y...

Today’s show features two charming, unassuming, determined women. First, a humble teenager named Ardra Charath shares her ideas about what we can do to make sense of the extreme weather events she lived through in India and the Middle East. Then, atmospheric scientist Dr. Melissa Burt fills us in on the enthusiasm and forward motion she sees every day with her students. If you are finding yourself...

Catherine wrote this loving tribute to honor her mother Judith on the occasion of her 80th birthday. Judith is a mother of 4 and grandmother of 8 who has lived on 3 continents and loves nothing more than a house full of family. 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.c...

Something I have long sensed to be true from personal experience and now know is the case, thanks to the work of Dr. Samantha Boardman, author of Everyday Vitality, and my neuroscientist friend Dr. Lisa Feldman Barrett. 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/adcho...

Emma Venarde is a college sophomore at Brown. Joellen Russell is a climate scientist in Arizona. They are leaders in a growing army of earnest, endearing women inspiring growth in understanding, behavior, policy and legislation to protect our planet. Here we talk about their best and worst moves on the road to change. Sign up for the free 2x monthly nonpartisan newsletter at ScienceMoms.com to sta...