Kelly Corrigan Wonders

 We're dropping in a bonus episode today -  Kelly had the best time talking to a friend you might know, he is Dwight Schrute from The Office among many, many other things.  His real name is Rainn Wilson and his real interest is in spirituality and matters of the soul. That's why he started a podcast called Soul Boom . We loved this episode of Soul Boom where Rainn interviews Kelly and thought we w...

Meet George Sweetland, a first-grade teacher from Connecticut who turned his love of drawing monsters and late-night sketching sessions into a dream career as a children's book illustrator. In this episode of our Makers series, George shares how an Instagram post changed everything, why he keeps bins of "failed" sketches, and what happened when he tried to make pickle juice risotto for his family....

All three of the Tiehel sisters eulogized their incredible mom PT but this one, written by daughter Amy really sums up the way PT lived her life: always on the lookout for the person having a tough go of it, the loner, the one who needed a helping hand. This is a story about taking the time to really notice people and to help make the world a better place, one small, kind gesture at a time. (Previ...

What if that scrap of paper you're about to throw away holds the seed of something extraordinary? This week, Kelly reflects on the power of saving the small things that might seem insignificant at first glance - from childhood journals and camp letters that sparked a writing career, to a simple bedtime story that evolved into something much bigger. You'll hear the adorable recording of Kelly's dau...

When was the last time your desire to be "better than" someone else got in the way of a meaningful connection - or derailed an important conversation? Kelly welcomes theologian Miroslav Volf to explore how our competitive nature often undermines genuine dialogue. Drawing from his book The Cost of Ambition: How Striving to Be Better Than Others Makes Us Worse, Volf shares wisdom on shifting from in...

Hi all - this is Tammy writing. Today marks one year since Kelly's mom died. On Tuesday, June 4th, 2024, I had the honor of attending the funeral service for Kelly's mom, the indomitable Mary Corrigan - lovingly known as "Jammy" to her six grandkids. One thing (among many) that the Corrigan family does very well is honor and celebrate family. GT, Booker and Kelly each delivered a moving, intimate,...

Kelly explores Amanda Ripley's take on navigating our fear-filled world. Through the story of a government employee facing an impossible choice, Amanda helps us discover how to stay human when everything feels divisive. Plus, Kelly unpacks Chasing Peace author Tom Rosshirt's practical four-step approach to taming anxieties - highlighting a powerful shift from trying to impress others to being genu...

Kelly explores a radical new way to rate politicians with Brad Porteus, the Executive Director of Bridge Grades, who reveals that the most collaborative members of Congress are complete unknowns while the divisive firebrands are celebrities. This eye-opening conversation, part of our Hard Conversations series, challenges our tribal politics and offers a surprising path forward: what if our differe...

Kelly shares a Marine Corps wife's essay (titled "Cincinnatus") honoring her husband's quiet retirement after 20 years of service. Instead of ceremonies, his legacy lives in small, meaningful actions like giving away his expensive uniform to help a young officer and driving a beat-up Corolla with a trunk full of first aid supplies - so he can help anyone, on a moment's notice. It's a moving remind...

Kelly shares the remarkable story of Armia Khalil, a Metropolitan Museum of Art security guard with a secret talent. As a child, Armia played in the mud and created little sculptures by the Nile River. Years later, the artistic young man immigrated to the US with just $375 and a suitcase of woodworking tools. After years of struggle, he landed a job as a security guard at the Met, where a chance c...

As a part of our Hard Conversations series, the author of the New York Times best-seller ⁠The Tell and one of TIME's "2025 Women of the Year", Amy Griffin opens up about confronting trauma after decades of silence - and shares with us why sometimes the hardest conversation of all is the one you're afraid to even begin. With warmth and remarkable clarity, Amy shares how perfectionism and achievemen...

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,...

Today's episode is a part of our "About Your Mother" series honoring Every Mother Counts. Bono lost his mother Iris when he was 14 years old. She had an aneurysm at her father’s funeral and as he says, he’s been singing to her ever since. This is a very special conversation, possibly my favorite interview of all time, made more lovely and intimate by the friendship between Bono and Christy going b...

Build the life of your dreams and learn from the world’s most successful people. Emma Grede, one of America’s richest self-made women - wants you to make the most of your life. On ‘Aspire with Emma Grede', learn through thought-provoking conversations with some of the most successful and smartest minds on the planet. Each episode will unpack their habits, philosophy and strategies, covering career...

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...

Kelly shares a listener's story that perfectly captures what Thanks For Being Here is all about - honoring the people who matter most, whether they're still with us or have moved on. Tracy Hargan's beautiful toast to her 80-year-old mother Janet shows us why these tributes are so powerful and needed. Through the toast given at her mom's birthday celebration, Tracy reminds us all to speak our love...

In this special Go To, Kelly and Christy Turlington Burns sit down with Melinda French Gates to talk about the woman who raised her, Elaine, who taught her to set her own agenda and find a moment every day to really connect with the people who matter most. Our About Your Mother series raises funds to support safe and respectful pregnancy, delivery and postpartum care in 9 countries through Every M...

As we continue our Hard Conversations series, Kelly talks with Ami Dar, the founder of Idealist.org, about finding hope in a deeply divided world. From his days as a teenage soldier in Israel to creating a global platform for good, Ami shares the moment that changed his perspective forever. With genuine optimism, he makes the case that small actions ripple outward, the world is often kinder than w...

This week's Thanks For Being Here comes from listener Hilleary Wright who shares an essay written by her 10-year-old son Bruce titled, "Accidental Growth." Bruce's piece details a skiing accident that left him with a spiral-fractured tibia at age five, requiring a full leg cast for six weeks. But the real magic happens in Bruce's reflection on how challenges make us stronger - just like the burls...

Today is another episode in our series about moms in honor of Every Mother Counts. Today we talk to the iconic Cindy Crawford, an old friend of Christy’s (you may have seen them together in the Apple TV docu-series The Super Models). Cindy is a Midwestern girl, a high school valedictorian who started at Northwestern on an academic scholarship to study chemical engineering before her career took he...

This episode is the first in the 2nd half of our Hard Conversations series. Kelly speaks with Rabbi Sharon Brous, who she discovered at the Aspen Ideas Festival and was so captivated by that she waited backstage to invite her onto the podcast. Together they explore forgiveness through ancient and modern perspectives, examining a powerful ritual where those with broken hearts walked against the cro...

This episode of Thanks For Being Here features a moving eulogy written by listener Maggie Willman for her father. Through a beach photo and thoughtful words, Maggie reveals how her dad became the "somebody" everyone could count on. Her story reminds us of the impact we have when we show up for others. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/priv...

Continuing our special series about moms in honor of Every Mother Counts. Christy and I recently spent an unforgettable Saturday afternoon talking to the singular force of nature that is Spike Lee about his mother, Jackie, who died when Spike was a sophomore at Morehouse College. Spike has 134 directing credits over four+ decades, in each case imploring us to Wake Up. Here’s a chance to understand...

Kelly sits down with global philanthropist, women's advocate and friend Melinda French Gates to dive into her new book The Next Day: Transitions, Change and Moving Forward and chat about what Melinda calls "the clearing" – that awkward space between ending one thing and figuring out what's next. They cover everything from pushing back against Catholic school rules as a kid to making tough calls ab...

This week's Thanks For Being Here comes from Kelly's friend Jill Marshall (featured in our past GOTO's about elder care and planning), who finally took the plunge and signed up for yoga teacher training at 57. Jill tells us about the fantastic group of people she met, the deep bonds they formed, and the life lessons they shared along the way. She gets real about her first time teaching - imperfect...