Let's Give A Damn

Robert Frank is the Henrietta Johnson Louis Professor of Management and a Professor of Economics at the Samuel Curtis Johnson Graduate School of Management at Cornell University. He, also, contributes to the "Economic View" column in The New York Times. Additionally, he has written over a dozen books including the book we will discuss today — Under The Influence: Putting Peer Pressure to Work. In...

Larycia Hawkins is a scholar, a speaker, and a Professor at University of Virginia. She was the first female African-American tenured professor at Wheaton College — the Harvard University of Christian colleges. She accidentally fell into the national spotlight when, in 2015, she decided to wear a hijab in an act of embodied solidarity during a time in our country when then presidential candidate T...

Sarah Ives joins me on the podcast today! Sarah works with former podcast guest Jacob Glanville, is an immune engineer, is the Director of Contract Research at Distributed Bio, and is the lead scientist for the broad-spectrum Centivax flu vaccine technology. Read her full bio here. She’s a busy woman! In our conversation, we talk about their universal flu vaccine, their work on a coronavirus cure,...

Kennedy Green, Mikayla Smith, Nya Collins, Jade Fuller, and Emma Rose Smith join us on the show today to talk about how they went from throwing around ideas to pulling off the largest Black Lives Matter protest yet. I was there. It was incredible. It felt sad. It felt just. It felt righteous. And it was peaceful.  Since the protest last Thursday, pretty much every major outlet has picked up t...

In the wake of the devastating and senseless murder of George Floyd, our cities are on fire, people of color are experiencing tremendous amounts of pain, and we all have a million questions. Lisa Sharon Harper joins me on the podcast today to discuss all things George Floyd, riots, slavery, the police, and whether to not everything will be made right one day. Lisa is a speaker, author, theologian,...

Eugene is a pastor, author, and a humanitarian. He is the Founder of One Day’s Wages and the President-Elect of Bread for the World. Eugene and his family immigrated to the United States from South Korea when he was a little boy. he and his family have lived in Seattle for years but are moving to Washington, D.C. soon for his new role with BFTW. During our chat, we talk about his immigration story...

Mike McHargue "is a public educator trusted by millions to use empathy and deep scientific insights to help them navigate some of the most difficult parts of the human experience. He’s the host of Ask Science Mike, is the bestselling author of Finding God in the Waves, and You’re a Miracle (and a Pain in the Ass), and works as a science advisor and story consultant for film and television working...

We’re bringing back and oldie but a goodie! My 10th podcast conversation — 131 podcast episodes ago — was with my friend Rainn Wilson. Since we met 3 years ago, Rainn has been so kind to help me and Let’s Give A Damn out in several really key and kind ways. I love Rainn, his wife Holiday, and the many ways they give a damn.  In this conversation, Rainn gives us so much wisdom. Among other importan...

It’s monologue time, friends! I want to share with you this I’ve been processing and learning over the last few weeks. Give it a listen and let me know what you think!  Shoot me an email with any questions or thoughts you may have: hello@letsgiveadamn.com. I’d love to hear from you! Make sure to follow us on Instagram and sign up for our email newsletter so you’ll know all the details for our week...

April 22 is Earth Day! This year marks the 50th anniversary of Earth Day — a day we set aside each year to show our support for the environment, our commitment to helping our planet become cleaner and healthier, and to discuss the different ways we are doing just that.  Before I introduce our guest today that was handpicked for our Earth Day episode, I want to share with you something we are doing...

Joel Stein — quite possibly the best person out there to defend elites — is on the podcast this week! But we don’t like elites, right? Well, don’t check out quite yet. You’re going to want to listen to this conversation. I promise. Joel Stein is was a staff writer and columnist for Time magazine for two decades. While there, he wrote twenty-two cover stories! Additionally, he was a columnist for E...

Earl Bridges and Craig Martin are philanthropologists, storytellers, and lifelong best friends and adventurers. During our conversation, we discuss growing up overseas, the importance of global travel, failures and successes, their podcast, and their brand new TV show, The Good Road.  Click here to find out when The Good Road is playing on PBS near you.  Follow The Good Road on Twitter, Instagram,...

Katie Steller is the founder of Steller Hair, Steller Connect, Steller Kindness Project, The Red Chair Project. Yes, all of those things. Katie and I have known each other for 12 years and it was great to reconnect. In our chat, we talk about her upbringing, her faith background, how she became an entrepreneur, why she began inviting people to “come as you are” in all of life, what she is doing no...

It’s monologue time, friends! In this short episode, I share some great stories and hopeful ideas for us to chew on during this crazy time. We talk about possible effects this pandemic could have on the climate, we talk about Yashar’s fundraiser for hourly workers that have lost their jobs, we discuss the new #DamnGoodQuarantine series I’m launching this week, and much more.  Please hit me up on e...

How can we give a damn in the midst of this Coronavirus Pandemic if we don’t know what it is, how it spreads, what we’re doing right, what we’re doing wrong, and what the future looks like?  Jacob Glanville, my friend and computational immuno-engineer, joins us on the podcast to give us a one-stop-shop experience re: all things Coronavirus. Buckle up, you’re about to drink from a firehose! Jacob i...

Join me in welcoming Josh Mundy to the pod! On March 3, an F4 tornado hit Nashville and caused billions of dollars of damage. Josh Mundy housed 4 of his businesses in one building and lost them all overnight. Yet, Josh and Tabitha have a tremendous amount of peace that whatever comes next will be for their good and for the good of their community. I can’t wait for you to hear our chat! If you want...

March 8 is International Women’s Day and we have my favorite person in the world and Let’s Give A Damn’s biggest fan on the podcast today! My wife has sacrificed so much so that I can bring amazing stories to your ears each and every week. I’m thrilled that you get to meet her via this one-hour conversations with one of the biggest damn-givers I know. Enjoy! She’s not on social media right now but...

Justin Jones is running for Congress in Tennessee's 5th Congressional District and he is my guest on the podcast today. His bio, found on his website, is worth reading because it highlights the breadth and depth of the ways he has given a damn from such a young age: Justin Jones is an activist, graduate student, and community organizer in Nashville. Born in Oakland, California, he grew up in the E...

Let's talk about the Oscars. Many actors and artists used their stage time to share their thoughts on what is happening in society and in politics. Which, for the record, I’m 100% OK with. In fact, I applaud it! Entertainers throughout history have used their art form and platform to speak out against injustices happening around them. The notion that athletes should stick to playing sports or that...

Will Acuff, Co-Founder of Corner to Corner, is on the podcast today! Will is a force of nature. He and his family give so many damns. Will and I met at our favorite cigar shop in Nashville. We both like cigars so that was a great start to a friendship. But the more I got to know Will, the more I knew I wanted to share his life and work with you. Follow Corner to Corner on Facebook and Instagram. E...

Jamel Campbell-Gooch is on the podcast this week! Jamel is a violence interruptor and is part of the Gideon's Army leadership team. Gideon's Army uses restorative justice-based programs to build resilient kids and healthy communities.  A few links that may interest you: Check out Gideon's Army on Facebook and Instagram.  Follow Jamel on Instagram and Twitter. Take a look at Blackstorian. _________...

Join me in welcoming Josh Radnor to the podcast this week! You probably know Josh for his role as Ted Mosby in the wildly popular show, How I Met Your Mother. Admittedly, I'm not a fan of the show but I know it was/is a big deal to lots of people. Sure, we chat about HIMYM a little bit but we spent most of our time discussing Ram Dass, Spirituality, Radnor & Lee (his band), porn, giving a damn, a...

Here's a short monologue for you as we finish 2019 and begin 2020. I feel incredibly excited about what will happen in 2020 with Let's Give A Damn. Do you feel it, too? I hope so. Because I need you.  I hope these words help you and give you hope. Also, buy Becoming Human (or any of the 30+ books Jean Vanier wrote while alive). You'll learn so much from him. I love you and I can't wait to give so...

This is me. Raw. Unscripted. Sitting in my bedroom staring at a wall for 13 minutes while talking to you. In this brief monologue, I share why we've been taking more breaks than normal, what's going on right now, and where we are headed in 2020. Exciting things ahead, friends! But not without some growing pains. Remember, giving a damn must take place in this order: First, give a damn about yourse...

My guest today is David French. David is a senior editor for The Dispatch. He just left a role as senior writer for National Review last month. David is a New York Times bestselling author, and his next book, The Great American Divorce, will be available for you to purchase in a few months. He graduated from Harvard Law School and he is a former lecturer at Cornell Law School. David is a former ma...