Nobody Told Me!

What factors determine our success? How can our paths to success be made a little easier? Our guest on this episode, Business School Professor Laura Huang, has spent a great deal of time researching that question and writing about it in the book, "Edge: Turning Adversity into Advantage". In this interview, she explains what to do if you don't have a good natural edge or gut feel. She says we can t...

The path to happiness is simple, according to our guest on this episode, Shannon Kaiser.  She's the best-selling author of several books on the science of happiness and fulfillment and has been called one of the freshest voices in mental health and wellness. We talked with Shannon about her book,  'Joy Seeker: Let Go of What's Holding You Back So You Can Live the Life You Were Made For'.  Her webs...

We're honored to welcome our guest on this episode, retired Navy SEAL Clint Emerson, who spent 20 years in the Special Operations community, including time with a Special Mission Unit. He's the New York Times bestselling author of '100 Deadly Skills'.   His book, 'The Right Kind of Crazy', is a gripping memoir about his time as a Navy SEAL. In this interview, he talks to us about how and why he be...

We are thrilled to welcome Adrienne Brodeur to this episode. She is the author of the highly acclaimed memoir, "Wild Game: My Mother, Her Lover, and Me". It's a mother-daughter story unlike any you've heard!   Her website is  https://www.adriennebrodeur. com/

It's a great pleasure to welcome In-Q, a National Poetry Slam champion, award-winning poet, and multi-platinum songwriter who's written for artists like Selena Gomez ("Love You Like a Love Song"), Miley Cyrus ("Forgiveness and Love"), and many others.    In-Q was named to Oprah's "SuperSoul 100" list of the world's most influential thought leaders.  His latest book of poems and stories is called, ...

Exercise is the closest thing there is to a magic bullet for healthy aging, according to our guest on this episode, investigative health journalist Judy Foreman.  Judy is the author of the book, "Exercise is Medicine:  How Physical Activity Boosts Health and Slows Aging".  She says it's not just the passage of time that makes our bodies fall apart as we get older, it's lack of exercise.  Her websi...

Joining us on this episode is James Tate Hill, the author of a remarkable memoir which has gotten fantastic reviews. The book is called, "Blind Man's Bluff".  In it, James tells the story of losing his eyesight and hiding it from the world. We were fascinated to hear how he navigates everyday life, with honesty about its challenges, and gratitude for the unique outlook his blindness has given him....

On this episode, we'll find out how so many aspects of your life are greatly impacted by the way you think about yourself.  Our guest is Catherine Sanderson, Amherst College psychology professor and author of the book, "The Positive Shift: Mastering Mindset to Improve Happiness, Health, and Longevity".  Among other things, we discuss how to change negative thought patterns, the implications of com...

Our guest on this episode. Heidi Murkoff, is the author of "What to Expect When You're Expecting", which is the longest-running title of all time on The New York Times bestseller list.  The  "What to Expect" books have sold more than 42 million copies and are published in 38 countries and in 44 languages.   Hear how the books came about and what's changed for expectant mothers since the 1980's.  C...

It's inspiring to learn about the lives of remarkable people and find out how they coped during difficult times. On this episode, we'll hear about some of the unsung heroines of World War Two—the brave young Jewish women in the ghettos of the Nazi occupation in Poland. They saw and acknowledged the truth of their time and risked their lives in the fight for justice and freedom. Joining us is autho...

Do you feel overwhelmed by the mixed messages society gives us about what it means to live well?  We hear that there are so many things we should do--enjoy the moment, dream big, get up before the sun, make time for everyone in our lives while having a spotless home and doing the perfect workout.  What if you could do what matters in your life, skip the things that don't and be a person again?  Yo...

Do you find it difficult to forgive?  Do you wish others would find it easier to forgive you?  Joining us is Dr. Fred Luskin, who's the Director of the Stanford Forgiveness Projects, an ongoing series of workshops and research projects that investigate the effectiveness of his forgiveness methods on a variety of populations. Dr. Luskin is one of the world's leading researchers on forgiveness.  He'...

Did you know that your beliefs about aging impact your health? Our guest on this episode is Dr. Becca Levy, professor of Public Health and Psychology at Yale. She says your age beliefs are so powerful that they define how you experience your later years.  Dr. Levy is credited with creating the field of study that focuses on how positive and negative age stereotypes can have beneficial and adverse...

Beloved writer, educator and social activist Lorene Cary joins us on this episode.  Her most recent book is a beautiful memoir called, "Ladysitting: My Year with Nana at the End of Her Century". It's received rave reviews including one from O, the Oprah Magazine which called "Ladysitting" simply, "Radiant".  Her website is  https://www.lorenecary.com/   We're excited to tell you about another grea...

Mental health conditions are diagnosed in roughly one in five people. But, how accurate are those diagnoses?  Our guest on this episode, activist and author Sarah Fay, has been diagnosed—or rather, misdiagnosed—with six mental illnesses over the last 30 years. She writes about her experience and raises important mental health questions for all of us in her book, "Pathological: The True Story of Si...

T ake a look at the things that  may be getting  in the way of  y our leading li fe  with the kind of purpose and fulfillment  you'd  like. Our guest is bestselling author Joshua Becker, who's written several books on minimalism and intentional living.    His  latest  book is called "Things that Matter: Overcoming Distraction to Pursue a More Meaningful Life."    His website is  https://www. becom...

Listening to inspirational stories of people from the past can give us just the push we may need to get through tough times today.  Our guest on this episode, author Veronica Hinke, has been researching the  Titanic  for as long as she can remember and joins us to talk about its incredibly inspiring passengers, some of whom survived, and others who lost their lives in the sinking of the ship on Ap...

Bestselling author Elizabeth Lesser joins us on this episode.  Her books include "Broken Open: How Difficult Times Can Help Us Grow" and "Marrow: Love, Loss & What Matters Most". Her newest book is called, "Cassandra Speaks: When Women are the Storytellers, the Human Story Changes".     Elizabeth is the cofounder of Omega Institute, which is recognized internationally for its workshops and confere...

Body image is the topic on this episode?  Do you stress about your body image?  Do you have a daughter who does?  Pre-teen and teenage girls are among the most concerned demographic groups when it comes to worrying about how their bodies look.   Our guest on this episode is Rutgers University Psychology Professor Dr. Charlotte Markey, who's an expert in the psychology of body image.  Dr. Markey is...

Most of us wrestle with the fact that there is little we can control in our lives. As a result, we may worry, hold our breath and wonder when the next crisis might occur. Our guest on this episode, author Mary Laura Philpott, has spent a lot of time pondering life and death, and everything in between. You may know Mary Laura from her bestselling book, "I Miss You When I Blink", or from her writing...

Join us for a fascinating, behind-the-scenes look at organ transplants and what it's like to work as a lung transplant physician confronted with life-and-death decisions every day.  Our guest is transplant consultant Dr. David Weill, who is the former Director of the Center for Advanced Lung Disease and the Lung Transplant Program at Stanford. He's also the author of a gripping memoir entitled, "E...

Parents want to keep their kids safe, healthy, happy and motivated but sometimes it's hard to know what to say to achieve those goals. Conversation between parents and kids can be difficult at times, if not impossible. That's why we're excited to welcome neuropsychologist William Stixrud and test prep expert Ned Johnson to the show. They are the authors of the bestselling book, "The Self-Driven Ch...

Have you ever thought about what your parents did right and what they did wrong in terms of giving you the skills you needed to thrive in life? And, if you're a parent yourself, do you feel you have the tools to teach your kids how to flourish and be happy? Our guest on this episode is educational psychologist and bestselling author Dr. Michele Borba, author of, "Thrivers: The Surprising Reasons W...

Internationally known self-defense expert and New York Times bestselling author Tim Larkin discusses the concepts behind his books  'How to Survive the Most Critical 5 Seconds of Your Life' and 'When Violence is the Answer: Learning How to Do What It Takes When Your Life Is At Stake'.  He says the average person can benefit from learning potentially lethal 'self-protection' moves, not just 'self-d...

The world's most popular career book is "What Color Is Your Parachute?", which has been in print for more than 50 years and was written by the late Richard Bolles. Now available is the book, "What Color Is Your Parachute For College: Pave Your Path from Major to Meaningful Work".  It's described as the only guide students need for making the most of their college career from start to finish. It wa...