YaleUniversity

In today’s episode, we delve into the world of leading a high-level biomedical research program and mentoring students who will make the key scientific breakthroughs of tomorrow. I’m joined by Dr. Faye Rogers, a pioneering researcher studying cell repair and genomic instability, with the goal of developing novel therapies for breast and ovarian cancers. In our conversation, Dr. Rogers recounts her...

Austin Carty is a writer and pastor of Boulevard Baptist Church in Anderson, South Carolina. Before becoming a pastor, he taught high school English, and while teaching Tolstoy, heard the first call to ministry. As a minister, he continues to immerse himself in stories and words that speak to the human condition and inform how he preaches the Gospel. Austin is the author of High Points and Lows: L...

A conversation between Alyce Mahon and Mark Polizzotti

Today’s episode emerged from a “chance” encounter that led to an authentic connection and eventually a podcast conversation. From his poignant investigative journalism at MTV, to his dynamic storytelling and cultural commentary across multiple media platforms, and his red-carpet interviews with chart-topping artists at the Grammys, Dometi Pongo’s lasting impact on the industry is clear. Today, we...

Jamil Mahuad, former President of Ecuador, joins for a fascinating conversation on leadership, instinct, and imagination. He opens up about the choice to go into politics, and his experiences negotiating a peace accord and navigating an economic “perfect storm.”

The Rev'd Elizabeth Riley is a priest and author with a vibrant digital presence on social media platforms, particularly TikTok, where she shares everything from the Good News of the Gospel to “rage prayers." Her book, Rage Prayers, is about turning your pent-up frustrations, daily annoyances, and righteous anger into a raw and transformative dialogue with a higher power who's ready to listen. As...

Yale Divinity School alum and hospice chaplain Reverend Aaron Klink discusses how spiritual care complements modern medicine, a near-death experience that transformed his understanding of mortality, and the enduring question of God’s presence in suffering. https://divinity.yale.edu/news/2025-05-06-where-is-god-in-suffering-spiritual-care-mortality-and-meaning-with-hospice

Seane Corn is an internationally-acclaimed yoga teacher, author, and public speaker who has been at the forefront of yoga, activism, and community service for 30+ years. Known for her social activism and impassioned teaching style, Seane is raw, honest, articulate, and spiritually inspired in her self-expression. Welcome to Within, a contemplative segment of The Leader’s Way Podcast that explores...

This is another essential conversation that will transform lives. Carvens Lissaint and Dr. Maliek Blade join for a revealing discussion about manhood, connection, vulnerability and life-giving friendship. We ask the question, do we as men really know how to connect? Do we know how to effectively express, process and manage our emotions? In this episode, we reflect on what it means to be in deep re...

For their fourth annual Bulldog Days Live episode, Hannah and Mark ask four recently admitted students visiting campus to reflect on the factors and forces that affected their college application journey – including things they chose to do and things that were completely out of their control. Admissions officer Brynne dazzles the audience with her encyclopedic knowledge of what her admitted studen...

Laurie Santos is host of The Happiness Lab podcast and professor at Yale, where she teaches Psychology and the Good Life, Yale’s most popular course in over 300 years, with almost one out of four students enrolled. Laurie is an expert on the science of happiness and the ways in which our minds lie to us about what makes us happy. In this episode of The Leader’s Way, host Brandon Nappi talks with L...

A conversation with art historian and curator Edward J. Sullivan about a transformative era when Latino artists claimed their place in the art world

Visiting ISM Fellow Katie Anania discusses her work as an art historian with ISM student Remi Recchia. Dr. Anania covers her latest monograph in progress, Devour Everything: Feminist Art After Agriculture, explores expressions of feminism in art-making spaces, and highlights her upcoming April 10 ISM conference, "Plant Lives: Sacred Interdependencies in the Arts of the Americas."

Bonnie Piesse is an Australian singer-songwriter, actress, soul alignment coach and host of the podcast "Your Quantum Life." She helps conscious leaders and visionaries remember who they really are and step into their true power and light. Bonnie is also an actress, best known for her role as ‘Star Wars’ Episode II - ‘Attack of the Clones’, Episode III - ‘Revenge of the Sith’ and ‘Obi-Wan Kenobi.’...

I can’t overstate the importance of today’s episode. This conversation will literally change lives. Today, we shine the spotlight brightly on maternal mental health. Far too many moms have said, “I wasn’t familiar with postpartum mood or anxiety disorders, until I experienced them.” Family members and friends have said, “I had no idea what they were going through.” It doesn’t need to stay that way...

Carey Wallace believes inspiration is an essential and often underexplored part of the creative life. In her new book The Discipline of Inspiration: The Mysterious Encounter with God at the Heart of Creativity, Carey meditates on the ways artists have experienced and negotiated with that "creative spark" across genres and throughout history, identifying it as something beyond them. In this convers...

Professor of American Religious History Tisa Wenger discusses how the early US government used Christianity to justify indigenous land theft, the limits of religious freedom in America, and the importance of Yale’s new certificate in Native American and Indigenous studies. A transcript of this episode can be found here: https://divinity.yale.edu/news/2026-04-06-religion-power-and-indigenous-lands-...

What do we do in seasons of destabilization and doubt, uncertainty or rupture, when we find ourselves in the proverbial spiritual "wilderness?" Sarah Bessey tells us that the site of disruption is often “an altar to encounter God, an invitation from the Spirit” to encounter God’s love anew. Welcome back to Within, a contemplative segment of The Leader’s Way Podcast that explores the convergence of...

In this episode, Dr. Payam Yousefi discusses with Sindy Yang (MAR '26) his background as a musical performer and scholar. In particular, he shares how his personal experiences as a musician were deeply embedded in social and political movements in Iran, which served as the impetus for his graduate research. Diving into classical Persian and Sufi poetry, Yousefi shows how music in Iran bears moral,...

This week, we hear from Dr. Jeannette Ickovics, a transformative leader with a track record of local, national and global impact, as we consider what makes a successful leader. She generously describes how she’s built multiple pioneering programs from the ground up, and shares her effective practices focusing on infrastructure, sustainability, leadership development, and growth. We also hear about...

By his own admission, Father Laurence Freeman came into the monastic life "kicking and screaming.” In this lively episode, host Brandon Nappi asks Fr. Freeman to share the story of his journey into the monastery, about his relationship with the incredible meditation teacher, John Main, and the profound ways meditation shapes our experience of the world. Father Freeman is a monk of the Benedictine...

A conversation with author and curator Sarah Anne McNear

How can the science of spirituality help us discover our true purpose in life? Welcome back to Within, a contemplative segment of The Leader’s Way Podcast that explores the convergence of mental health, art, and spirituality through authentic conversations across traditions about personal and collective transformation. In this episode, Brandon Nappi talks with psychiatrist and spiritual coach Dr....

In the midst of ongoing global military conflicts, Ellsworth “Tony” Williams and General Jack Hammond join for a timely conversation about their military journeys and their life-giving efforts addressing the invisible wounds of military service. They share openly about their expected and unexpected paths into the military and into advocacy work. In this revealing discussion, we walk through the ch...

Welcome back to the new season of The Leader’s Way, a podcast for people who aren’t ready to give up on the world. In this episode, host Brandon Nappi talks with Volker Leppin about all things mysticism, for Meister Eckhart to Francis of Assisi to Martin Luther to so much more. Dr. Leppin is a German Protestant theologian and the Horace Tracy Pitkin Professor of Historical Theology at Yale Divinit...