Work in Progress with Sophia Bush

All of our guests this year prompted conversations that had a huge impact on the way we understand and think about the world. On this special extra episode of Work in Progress, Sophia does a recap of some of the moments that’ll really stick with her as we transition from the end of one year to the beginning of the next. Plus, a look ahead at what's in store for Work In Progress for 2022! Executive...

Mayor Michael Derrick Tubbs is a community leader, an educator, an author, and the former Mayor of Stockton, CA. Michael joins Sophia on the podcast today to talk about growing up in Stockton, what it was like attending Stanford university and then going on to become the youngest mayor of a U.S. City, his new memoir The Deeper the Roots , and so much more! Executive Producers: Sophia Bush & Ra...

To start 2022 off right, Sophia discusses a few charitable organizations that can use your donations or volunteer time to make a difference! See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Although she’s known for being the most famous expert on chimpanzees, Jane Goodall is so much more than a primatologist. She’s also an author, podcast host, and a powerhouse in climate change activism and conservation. Jane joins Sophia on the podcast today to talk about how to focus your skills to see where you can help the most in the world, how similar chimps are to humans, and how she joi...

Connie Britton is an award-winning actress who’s known for fighting not just for the integrity of the women she plays on screen, but also for the rights and empowerment of women around the world. Connie joins Sophia on the podcast today to talk about knowing when a choice feels right even when it’s scary, her role in Friday Night Lights and how this contributed to people valuing the female voice m...

Today Sophia is joined on the podcast by Ken Armstrong and Meribah Knight: two journalists who investigated and broke an eye-opening story about Black children being jailed--for no crime at all. Meribah is a fellow of ProPublica’s Local Reporting Network and the host of The Promise, a truly phenomenal podcast about inequality and the people taking it on. Ken is a veteran of the Chicago Tribune and...

Blair Imani is a speaker and writer most well-known for the power and scope of her activism. She joins Sophia on the podcast to talk about her work to uplift voices, stories, and history that have been systemically under-represented or intentionally blocked. They dive into how to consider your sphere of influence, acknowledging people’s humanity, how to write the things that scare you, and so much...

Today’s guest is an actor, a producer, mental health activist, and even a Superhero--when she’s on set. You know her best as Kara Danvers aka SuperGirl on the CW, it’s Melissa Benoist. Today she joins Sophia to talk about art as a business and art as an expression, how you often end up feeling alive in the hardest times in your life, her experience as SuperGirl and the personal challenges she was...

Anna Musky-Goldwyn is a writer, social and political activist, and also happens to be the daughter of former WIP guest, actor Tony Goldwyn. Anna joins Sophia on the podcast today to talk about growing up in the entertainment industry, what inspired her to get involved in politics, and her mission with  Political Playlist .  Executive Producers: Sophia Bush & Rabbit Grin Producti...

Jamie Varon is a writer, designer, and influencer whose specialty is defining the line between happiness and ambition--and making the best of both. Jamie joins Sophia on the podcast today to talk about the toxicity of hustle culture, the danger of dimming our own light, her journey as a writer, and her upcoming book Radically Content: Being Satisfied in an Endlessly Dissatisfied World . Executive...

As we near the end of the year, Sophia discusses her favorite books, podcasts, and shows from 2021! Executive Producers: Sophia Bush & Rabbit Grin Productions Associate Producers: Samantha Skelton & Mica Sangiacomo Editor: Josh Windisch Artwork by the Hoodzpah Sisters This show is brought to you by Brilliant Anatomy See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Carrie Brownstein is a name you probably recognize most from the Emmy- and Peabody-award winning sketch series Portlandia, but she was also a hard rocking riot grrl as a band member of Sleater-Kinney and is a critically acclaimed memoir writer. Carrie joins Sophia on the podcast to talk about having that "fight" in you to survive, the lens through which she views the world, and the genre-bending f...

Lisa Donovan is a multi-hyphenated creator who developed The Pattern, one of the most popular apps that only continues to catch the interest of people globally. She joins Sophia on the podcast today to talk about being one of the pioneers of YouTube, what it feels like to be seen and understood, and the impact The Pattern is making on people’s lives and how they understand themselves.  Execut...

Debbie Millman is a world-class graphic designer and one of the most creative people in business. Debbie joins Sophia on the podcast today to talk about how everybody wants to make a difference in some way, the impact of design on our world, and her new book Why Design Matters , on-sale in early 2022! Executive Producers: Sophia Bush & Rabbit Grin Productions Associate Producers: Samantha Skel...

This is Part 2 of this special bonus episode where Sophia flips the mic and she's put in the hot seat by two of her best friends, Jenny Smart and Vanessa Magos. Sophia answers both light-hearted and deep questions from her besties, tackles fan questions, PLUS they play a fun game! Executive Producers: Sophia Bush & Rabbit Grin Productions Associate Producers: Samantha Skelton & Mica Sangia...

Today’s guest is bona fide award-winning scientist and one of Popular Science magazine’s “Brilliant 10,” Dr. Laurie Santos. Dr. Laurie Santos joins Sophia on the podcast today to talk about how our memory doesn’t remember our resilience, making behavioral changes so that they’ll stick, the course she created and taught at Yale, her podcast The Happiness Lab , and so much more! Executive Producers:...

Donovan Taylor Hall has been called a ‘world changer,’ a ‘teacher of teaching,’ and even a ‘modern day Mister Rogers.’ He joins Sophia on the podcast today to talk about the three skills practice that Donovan teaches his students, the impact our self talk has on us, comparing ourselves to others, and so much more! Executive Producers: Sophia Bush & Rabbit Grin Productions Associate Producers:...

Esther Perel is a bestselling author, multiple-time TedTalk host, and psychotherapist who is widely renowned for her insights on modern relationships. Esther joins Sophia on the podcast today to talk about the quality of our connections, how stories are the bridge to relationships, not being afraid to ask questions, and Esther’s new game called  Where Should We Begin .  Executive Produce...

Anita Hill is an activist, professor, and author most well-known for her incredibly brave testimony during the 1991 Supreme Court confirmation hearings. Anita joins Sophia on the podcast today to talk about how we can’t deal with the gender-based violence problem without dealing with racism, what we must do to reach equality, her personal evolution, her book Believing, and so much more.  Exec...

For this bonus episode, Sophia flips the mic and she's put in the hot seat by two of her best friends, Jenny Smart and Vanessa Magos. Sophia answers both fun and deep questions from her besties, tackles fan questions, andmore! Don't forget to tune in next month for Part 2! Executive Producers: Sophia Bush & Rabbit Grin Productions Associate Producers: Samantha Skelton & Mica Sangiacomo Edi...

In this 9/11 20th Anniversary Commemoration episode, civil rights leader and award-winning documentarian Valarie Kaur, and filmmaker and musician Delaney Colaio, join Sophia on the podcast to talk about how the events of 9/11 impacted our history, our culture, and our people. Valarie talks about how joy is the greatest act of resistance, what it means to be an advocate, and her 9/11 documentary, D...

Mary-Louise Parker is a Tony-, Golden Globe-, and Emmy-award winning actress. Mary-Louise joins Sophia on the podcast today to talk about she found acting as a way to speak to the world, her humanitarian efforts through both the David Lynch Foundation and Hope North, how social media can be used for the better, her book Dear Mr. You , and so much more! Executive Producers: Sophia Bush & Rabbit...

Eric Zimmer is a behavior coach and host of the One You Feed podcast. Eric joins Sophia on the podcast to talk about how he went from struggling with a heroin addiction, alcoholism, and homelessness, to turning his life around, rebelling against masculinity, his spiritual habits program, and so much more! Executive Producers: Sophia Bush & Rabbit Grin Productions Associate Producers: Sama...

Zoe Lister-Jones is an actor, musician, writer, producer, and director. Zoe joins Sophia on the podcast to talk about how we embody femininity, what it was like making a film with no connections, the fear of being an artist, following her gut in the film industry, and so much more! Executive Producers: Sophia Bush & Rabbit Grin Productions Associate Producers: Samantha Skelton & Mica Sangi...

Justin Baldoni is a director, producer, and actor-- who you might recognize as Rafael Solano from Jane the Virgin. Justin joins Sophia on the podcast to talk about how the greatest activism is self activism, his production company, Wayfarer Studios, and their philanthropic efforts, navigating the film industry and the stories he wants to tell, and so much more. Executive Producers: Sophia Bush &am...