Kelly Corrigan Wonders

Kelly shared the stage with acclaimed author (and personal hero) Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie at this year's Aspen Ideas Festival to talk cancel culture, the importance of free speech, tribalism in America, the impact of sensitivity readers in publishing, and the consequences of self-censorship. They also share personal reflections on grief, having both lost their parents in recent years. (Speaking of families and loss, here's the link to Kelly's TED talk on the occasional need for extraordinary bravery in family life to share with your families and friends.)

Kelly shares an episode of a podcast she loves called A Braver Way which is hosted by friends of Kelly Corrigan Wonders, Mónica Guzmán and April Lawson.  Is it the facts that get in the way in our politics, or our stories? Baratunde Thurston is a renowned comedian, activist, and PBS host who knows a lot about how the stories we tell about ourselves can either unlock our civic power... or make us forget we even have it. We’ll zoom in on two unforgettable times Baratunde crossed big divides and what those clashes can teach us, and we’ll hear his four pillars of “how to citizen” — as a verb, not a noun — to help us wield that power daily. Then Monica and April close us out with a clash of their own, unleashing their own stories about citizenship to see where their different politics lead them to think differently about the concept and the many issues that surround it.Credits:  Host: Mónica Guzmán Senior Producer & Editor: David Albright Producer: Jessica Jones Contributor: April Lawson Artist in Residence: Gangstagrass. Cover Art & Graphics: Katelin Annes Show notes: Ben Caron and Don Goldberg Featured Song: “That’s the Way We Climb” by Jud Caswell  A production of Braver Angels.  Financial Supporters: M.J. Murdock Charitable Trust and Reclaim Curiosity  Sponsors: USAFacts 

Bryan Stevenson, founder of the Equal Justice Initiative, author of Just Mercy, thinks with Kelly about repair in the face of deep societal ruptures. Can memorials transform thinking?  Can laying bare  injustice and its personal and collective effects foster a collective understanding -- followed by a durable commitment to equity?  From Berlin to South Africa to Montgomery, Alabama, people are confronting past harms and leaving with a Never Again spirit that just might save us.  Join us for the special episode in our Rupture and Repair series, sponsored by The Arthur Vining Davis Foundations.Previous podcast episode with Bryan Stevenson here.You can watch Kelly's previous video interview with Bryan Stevenson on her PBS show Tell Me More here.(And here's the link to Kelly's TED talk on bravery, which refernces Bryan Stevenson and his grandmother -- please share.)

Listener Katie Niemeyer shares a poignant story from her time as a 16-year-old patient in a burn unit, battling a severe reaction to a depression medication. Katie recounts how a fellow patient named Kerry, a fireman recovering from his own traumatic burns, brought light and support to her darkest days. Despite his own suffering, Kerry showed up for Katie consistently, forming a lifelong bond that transcended age, color, and gender. Please note: this episode references suicide.(In case you missed it, here's the link to Kelly's TED talk on the occasional need for extraordinary bravery in family life -- please post or share with every brave and loving person you admire.)

Today, I'm sharing my notes from listening to Indra Nooyi, who had a transformative tenure as CEO of PepsiCo, and is now a woman who speaks freely and blunty about what the country needs most. Live from the stage at Aspen Ideas Festival, Nooyi set the audience on fire with her blunt assessments and candid insights on how business can serve society and not the other way around. (Speaking of interpersonal bravery, here's the link to Kelly's TED talk on the occasional need for extraordinary bravery in family life -- please post or share with every brave and loving person you admire.)

Nicholas Kristof is one of America's most experienced, prolific, awarded and grounded journalists.  I read him often when I want a point of view that comes with 35 years in the field and his signature big picture optimism.  This is a conversation to remind us all how exactly change happens.   Special thanks to the Aspen Ideas Festival for putting me on stage with Nick and for generally being such a great partner this year and last as we try to stay up to date on the best thinking.*Please note that this conversation references substance abuse, sexual abuse, and suicide. (Here's the link to Kelly's TED talk on the occasional need for extraordinary bravery in family life -- please post or share with every brave and loving person you admire.)

Kristina Phipps wrote this exquisite, poetic eulogy to honor her mom Ann Emanuels.  Ann's love for beauty and her affinity for the natural world shone through in her garden, where she loved to spend time.  She saw a world to be seized and not squandered and would pack more into a day than seemed humanly possible. Perhaps more than anything though, Ann viewed the world as a place that should be savored - like a plump peach warm off the tree - and she made sure to impart that valuable lesson to her three daughters.  (For anyone who may have missed it, here's the link to Kelly's TED talk on the occasional need for extraordinary bravery in family life -- please post or share with every brave and loving person you admire.)

Getting the call, drafting a talk, practicing in the mock studio, dinner at Chris Anderson's with all the other speakers...it's a wild ride.  Here's the backstory of TED 2024.(And here's the link to Kelly's TED talk on the occasional need for extraordinary bravery in family life -- please post or share with every brave and loving person you admire.)

Living in an optimization culture is making parenting much more complicated than it need be. Or so says Dr. Aliza Pressman, author of The Five Principles of Parenting and the host of Raising Good Humans, who spends a lot of time with the latest research and a lot of time with parents in clinic. Today’s conversation is about exactly what does and does not protect us from the worst health outcomes and is to be shared with anyone who is looking for a parenting north star. (Previously aired)Our takeaways were juicy on this one… if you’d like to receive the weekly list in your inbox subscribe to our Weekly Takeaways email at www.kellycorrigan.com/takeaways.

Today’s submission is introduced in the episode as a eulogy but it’s actually an essay that writer, speaker and advocate Tracy Hargen wrote about her beloved dad Joe, shortly after he died in 2012. Tracy describes her dad as her “cheerleader, biggest fan, bear hugger, tear wiper and supporter of crazy ideas”. He had a big personality that filled every room he walked into and had a memorable, radio-worthy voice that Tracy got to capture and have forever when they did a StoryCorps interview together for NPR. As Tracy says, “May every child have the gift of loving parents who cherish them beyond words and believe in them beyond reason.” (Previously aired)

You and I both have short lists of people we just cannot bring ourselves to understand. But even in those most strained circumstances, we do have a set of things in common. Here’s my reminder to self of that always true fact. Meant to be shared, especially with people you’d love to reconnect with.  (Previously aired)Please be in touch. Write us anytime about anything — hello@kellycorrigan.com — we read every single one.

Rainn Wilson (who you might know as Dwight Schrute) is making a serious call for a spiritual revolution based on joy, acts of service and being honest about our mixed natures. This is a conversation to share with anyone who is thinking seriously about how to elevate matters of the soul over the clang and bang of the modern world. Or maybe just someone who needs a laugh. (Previously aired)Special thanks to the Aspen Ideas Festival where this podcast was recorded.

 In honor of 20 years together, Leslie Browning wrote this sweet tribute to her husband Ben. In her early years, Leslie got her idea of “romantic love” from what she saw in chick movies but after sharing two decades together and the juggling required with kids, jobs, financial pressures, competing demands, middle age, menopause and loss, she learned that although solid, steady, “real love” might not make that great of a movie - it sure makes for one hell of a life.(Previously aired)

I learn a lot from listeners.  This GOTO is a lesson in humility for me.  And maybe for you too.  It's about a mistake I suspect a lot of us have made...

Dan Harris is a smart, hungry skeptic looking for ideas you can count on in the worst of times, like say when you have a panic attack while you’re anchoring the news for ABC. He’s been thinking out loud with some very wise people for many years now through books and a podcast called 10% Happier that I find invaluable. Some topics we break open are uncertainty, humility and practices to keep us connected. Thanks to our many friends at the Aspen Ideas Festival for making this conversation possible.(Previously aired)

Jody Weverka wrote this sweet eulogy for her Auntie Marge - a woman who made everything from crafts to meals to gardens to family life better for everyone.  

A young friend of mine, Sophie G, shared this speech that she had saved from her high school graduation week.  It was given by Dr. Chris Cunningham, then at Lawrenceville, now at Whitfield, who gathered 10 takeaways for the students that are actually quite useful to every one of us.  To receive our weekly takeaways or share feedback, shoot us a note at hello@kellycorrigan.com.  

Krista Tippett, informed by decades of inquiry through her super-project, On Being, sits with Kelly to consider what’s in flux, what needs will never abate and what we might rediscover in new forms. In this moment when everything is broken open, when institutions are received with less reverence and more skepticism, where should we point our minds and hearts? What practices serve us best? This is a conversation to share with every thinking friend in your life and use as fodder for your own search for a spiritual home. (Previously aired)Thanks to our many friends at the Aspen Ideas Festival for making this interview possible.

We all have things we do to help us manage grief.  Today's episode is a look at one of the ways that Kelly handled the loss of her beloved dad, Greenie.  In the year following his death, she wrote and sent emails out into the ether - to connect with him in a small but very meaningful way.  We want to wish a Happy Father's Day to everyone from us all at Kelly Corrigan Wonders. 

A special episode dedicated to Kelly’s dear friend Liz Laats who passed away 8 years ago - and the friends we have all lost. Liz’s birthday would have been on June 19th. (Previously aired)