Sometimes it takes the convergence of extraordinary circumstances to make us face our own demons. For many years, Dr. Patricia B. McConnell grappled privately with intense fear, shame, anxiety, and guilt.
Dr. McConnell is a Zoologist and Certified Applied Animal Behaviorist. For more than 25 years she’s specialized in canine aggression, consulting with pet owners on serious animal behavioral problems.
Chuck Wendig is a novelist, graphic comic writer, screenwriter, and game designer.
He talks “… a lot about writing. And food. And pop culture. And his kid. [And] uses lots of naughty language.” Best know for his New York Times Bestselling Star Wars: Aftermath series, Wendig’s latest book is Thunderbird, the fourth installment in the continuing saga of Miriam Black.
There’s adversity, and there’s extreme adversity. Most of us can handle life’s daily ups and downs. But how do you cope when doctors tell you there’s a good chance you’ll never walk again? What goes through your mind? How do you wrap your head around a forever changed life?
It’s the story of an animation company that was $50 million in the red, until Steve Jobs called Lawrence Levyone day, and made him the offer of a lifetime.
Working daily with Jobs, Levy became CFO of Pixar and implemented a plan that transformed the Toy Story company into one of Hollywood’s greatest success stories — it made Jobs a billionaire and resulted in a $6 billion sale to Disney. Levy shares his journey and how the ancient Buddhist philosophy, The Middle Way, played into his personal and business success.
Talking with Erik Weihenmayer about the way he lives his life, and helps others live theirs, is beyond inspirational.
Weihenmayer astounded the world when he became the first, and only, blind person to climb Mount Everest. He’s also the only blind person to climb the Seven Summits, the tallest peaks on each continent.
And as if that wasn’t enough, along the way he took blind Nepalese teenagers climbing, and helped navigate injured soldiers through the mountains.
Today, he shares stories from his memoir, No Barriers: A Blind Man’s Journey to Kayak the Grand Canyon — an inspirational odyssey through Ecuador and Peru, to Nepal and Tibet. Weihenmayer embodies the motto of his organization, No Barriers: “What’s in You is Greater than What’s in Your Way.”
Also today: In just 50 years, the number of lions on our planet dropped from 450,000 to 20,000. Who better to shed light on this than the Jouberts, back from Botswana, just in time for Big Cat Week.
Derek and Beverly Joubert are award-winning filmmakers who have been National Geographic Explorers-in-Residence for more than four years. They helped establish the Big Cats Initiative with National Geographic to raise awareness and halt the decline of these magnificent mammals. This year’s Big Cat Week features their latest film, Soul of the Cat, which takes an in-depth look at how domestic cats and their wild cousins are as alike as they are different.
From NY Times Bestselling author David Elliot Cohen comes the heartwarming and often hilarious tale of Simba II, a mischevious white labrador retriever puppy bought home by accident. Included in The Wrong Dog: An Unlikely Tale of Unconditional Love is the author’s 3300 mile cross-country odyssey that chronicles the unbreakable bond between a dog and it’s people.
Bestselling mastermind James Rollins joins Vicki today to discuss the latest entry in his popular Sigma Series. The Seventh Plague blends scientific intrigue with historical mystery, and reveals an ancient threat hidden within the pages of the Bible that has a puzzling connection to Mark Twain’s travels, the genius of Nikola Tesla, and the adventures of explorer Henry Morgan Stanley.
Listen to Conversations Live with Vicki St. Clair every Monday at noon Pacific on KKNW 1150AM or 94.9FM HD. For exclusive updates throughout the rest of the week, like us on Facebook, and follow Vicki St. Clair on Twitter!
David Elliot Cohen demonstrates with great precision the vast and benevolent role dogs play in American family life in his latest effort, The Wrong Dog: An Unlikely Tale of Unconditional Love. As the accidentally adopted new family member grows from an energetic puppy into an enormous ninety-pound dog with a huge personality, Simba cements the bond between two families and enriches their lives in countless ways. A Yale graduate, David has produced numerous titles for Barnes & Noble’s in-house publishing division including four presidential photo-biographies and a book about the power of socially-conscious photojournalism. As an editor and author, he has created books that have sold over 6 million copies worldwide, including 4 NY Times bestsellers.
Featuring an ‘Elon Musk’ like character and a unique perspective on the friendship between Mark Twain and Nikola Tesla, The Seventh Plague by James Rollins weaves several relevant themesthroughout including Trump, Tesla and a secret energy source; whether or not a virus could cause one of the biblical plagues, and the frightening reality of electric-eating bacteria. James Rollins is a New York Times bestselling author of international thrillers, translated into more than forty languages. In each novel, James unveils unseen worlds, scientific breakthroughs, and historical secrets…and he does it all at breakneck speed and with stunning insight.
Michael Schulman, arts editor at the New Yorker, tells the story of Meryl Streep’s early rise in Her Again: Becoming Meryl Streep. It is the first thoroughly researched biography of the actress – the portrait of a woman, an era and a profession, giving us an intimate look into the years that shaped her into the icon she is today.
Growing up, returning guest Peter Brown Hoffmeister was expelled from three high schools and was homeless for parts of his sophomore and senior year, even living in a Greyhound Bus Station for a short while. His new novel, This is the Part Where You Laugh, sings a similar song. A teenage boy navigates first love, addiction, gang violence and a reptilian infestation in a trailer park in Oregon.
Enjoy Conversations Live with Vicki St. Clair every Monday at noon Pacific on KKNW 1150AM or 94.9FM HD. For exclusive updates throughout the rest of the week, like us on Facebook, and follow Vicki St. Clair on Twitter!
Her Again: Becoming Meryl Streep by Michael Schulman paints an indelible portrait of the artist as a young actress. From her beginnings as a young woman grappling with her immense talent in the early 70’s to her passionate, tragically short-lived love affair with fellow actor John Cazale, to her ideas of feminism, Schulman leaves no stone unturned. Michael has contributed to The New Yorker since 2006, currently serving as the arts editor.. He is the theatre editor of Goings On About Town and has written more than seventy-five Talk of the Town pieces.
From returning guest Peter Brown Hoffmeister comes an unforgettable account of growing up, making mistakes, and growing out of the shadow of drug abuse in his new novel This is the Part Where You Laugh. Chronicling the summer of a young, troubled man, the reader sees him attempt to stay out of trouble, and thus juvenile hall, while working on his basketball game with his friend, Creature, Canoeing around the lake to catch a glimpse of the beautiful girl who just moved in, and searching homeless camps for his mother, with a jar full of cash to help her get back on her feet. Peter is an author, rock climber, public speaker, outdoor expert, and athlete gear-tester for Ridgemont Outfitters.
Chuck Wendig is a novelist, graphic comic writer, screenwriter, and game designer.
