Category

Non Fiction

Health & Wellness, Non Fiction, Self-help

Jan 11: How Food Supports Emotional Well-being with Mary Beth Albright

Eat & Flourish

Food expert Mary Beth Albright draws on cutting-edge science to explain how food has the power to nourish your mind and support emotional wellness.

Eat & Flourish is not a diet book. It’s a whole system, whole living look at how nutrition, environment, psychology, biology, and even pleasure work together to help alleviate depression, anxiety, and stress.

We also discuss: The food-mood connection. How Mary Beth redefines emotional eating. The power of the gut microbiome. And what you need to know about the gut-brain connection.

About Mary Beth Albright

Mary Beth Albright started this research while she worked at the Surgeon General’s office, with Surgeon General C. Everett Koop. She’s now a correspondent and editor at The Washington Post, writing for Health/Science, Food, Travel, and Book World (as she says – the things that make life good). She’s also a public health attorney with two award-winning video series, including Secret Table and Teach Dave to Cook.  Her latest book, Eat & Flourish: How Food Supports Emotional Well-being.

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Creativity, Non Fiction, Personal Development, Professional Development, Psychology

Dec 28: Stop Procrastinating, Start Living Your Dreams with Kate Eckman

Eliminate Perfectionism, Shed Self-Doubt, Create a Fun & Fulfilling Life

As many of us think about goals for 2023, we look at why we so often get in our our own … and how we can change that!

Kate Eckman knows first hand how the stories we tell can make or break us. We discuss why you should dare to suck at something new. How naming values helps establish clarity. How creating safe space helps develop the independence needed to live authentically. Why humor and fun and play is imperative!

About Kate Eckman

Former elite athlete Kate Eckman deeply understands sports psychology and performance. She’s a  certified executive coach, working with leaders in business and sports, and the award-winning author of The Full Spirit Workout: A Ten-Step System to Shed Your Self-Doubt, Strengthen Your Spiritual Core, and Create a Fun and Fulfilling Life.

 

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History, Non Fiction, Writers on Writing

Dec 21: Empire of Ice and Stone with Award-winning Author Buddy Levy

The True Story of the Canadian Arctic Expedition That Went Horribly Wrong

In his latest narrative nonfiction, Buddy Levy weaves the compelling story of the struggle to survive in extremely harsh conditions. He brings to life two very different characters–Captain Bob Bartlett and expedition leader Vilhjalmur Stefansson–showing how both men made decisions with profound implications for the fate of the ship and its members.

While history is divided on who’s to blame for the expedition’s tragedies, readers are left decide: What would YOU have done under the circumstances? Buddy also discusses some of his research for Empire of Ice & Stone: The Disastrous and Heroic Voyage of the Karluk, and how he approached telling this harrowing journey.

About Buddy Levy

Buddy Levy is the author of eight books—his latest, Empire of Ice & Stone: The Disastrous and Heroic Voyage of the Karluk. Levy’s work has been featured in The New York TimesThe Wall Street JournalNPRUSA TodayThe Washington PostThe Washington Times, and more. He was the co-star, for 25 episodes, on HISTORY Channel’s docuseries, Brad Meltzer’s DECODED. And was a featured expert in Leonardo Di Caprio’s TV Series THE FRONTIERSMEN: The Men Who Built America. More about Buddy Levy.

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Biography, History, Journalism, Non Fiction

Dec 07: The Pirate’s Wife with Daphne Palmer Geanacopoulos

The Remarkable True Story of Sarah Kidd

Daphne Palmer Geanacopoulos’ fascination with pirates focuses on the women behind those pirates. In The Pirate’s Wife, Daphne shares insight into the life of Sarah Kidd, and what it meant to be married to the infamous Captain William Kidd.

We take a peek into piracy and privateering in colonial America and discuss how the once respectable Kidd became a pirate; and why pirates were originally welcomed.  Daphne also reveals who Sarah was, her role, what drove her, and the big question we all want to know: Where is the treasure?

About Daphne Palmer Geanacopoulos

Dr. Daphne Palmer Geanacopoulos is a historian, journalist, and author who’s spent the past 15 years, researching pirates, their lives, and their wives.  The Pirate’s Wife – The Remarkable True Story of Sarah Kidd is Daphne’s second book (narrative nonfiction). Her writing on history, business, science, health, fitness, education, museums, parenting, philanthropy, and lifestyles has appeared in many major outlets, including The New York Times, the Washington Post, and Southern Living.

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Health & Wellness, Memoir, Non Fiction

Nov 30: Topher Brophy with Dog Dad

When you rescue an animal, who rescues who?

Life changed for Topher Brophy when he adopted his four-legged, look-alike  ‘love battery’ – aka Rosenberg.  One thing led to another, and today Brophy and Rosenberg have almost a quarter of a million followers on Instagram.

The title of Topher’s new book tells you exactly what we talk about today, DOG DAD: How Animals Bring Out the Best in Us and Can Help Save the World.

Studies show that living with animals can help improve our overall health. Pets provide emotional support proven to lower blood pressure, lift depression, reduce anxiety, increase feelings of joy and happiness – and they help us get out of our head and into nature.

*If you’re thinking of getting a new companion, Adopt Don’t Shop. Contact Conversations Live with Vicki St. Clair for shelters near you, if you need help.*

About Topher Brophy

Topher Brophy is a New York-based Dog Dad artist who’s gained international attention through the socially conscious, imaginative photos of him and his son, Rosenberg The Dog.  Topher is donating all author proceeds from DOG DAD to American Humane.

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Essays, Memoir, Non Fiction, Writers on Writing

Nov 09: Peter Orner – Still No Word From You: Notes in the Margin

Observations on books, stories, poems, and life by the author of Am I Alone Here?

He’s known as a writer’s writer, a triple threat — novelist, short story master, and prolific essayist. But if you ask Peter Orner what he really wants readers to take away from his work, it’s connection.

Still No Word from You: Notes in the Margin melds intimate stories from the lived life and reading life. We discuss how Peter’s stories are often built around small moments;  how he knows which moments will make a great story. Living the writer’s life. What challenges Peter as a writer, and more.

About Peter Orner

The author of two novels and several story collections, Peter Orner‘s work has appeared in The Best American Short Stories, The New York Times, The New Yorker, The Atlantic, The Paris Review, and more. His previous essay collection, Am I Alone Here? Notes on Living to Read and Reading to Live, was a finalist for the National Book Critics Circle Award for Criticism. Peter Orner is a 3-time recipient of the Pushcart Prize and has received numerous awards including a Guggenheim Fellowship, and a Fulbright in Namibia. He is currently the director of creative writing at Dartmouth College.

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Inspirational, Memoir, Non Fiction

Nov 02: A Mother’s Memoir of Autism and Finding Joy

An Inspiring, Sometimes Challenging, Always Loving Journey

From the moment of conception, every parent dreams of having the perfectly healthy child. But sometimes life throws out challenges that test us. And that was true for Kate Swenson when her first born son was diagnosed with Autism.

Kate joins us today to share the uplifting journey she embarked upon when she discovered her son Cooper was born with a condition that would require special needs and care. Along the way, she discovered that no matter what, life can be joyful, and that she’s exactly who she’s supposed to be … and Cooper is exactly who he’s meant to be.

About Kate Swenson

A frequent contributor to publications on autism, parenting, and motherhood, Kate Swenson’s work is all about helping to ease other families journey’s as they live with autism. She’s the founder of a popular blog called Finding Coopers Voice. Her new memoir is  FOREVER BOY: A Mother’s Memoir of Autism and Finding Joy.

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Memoir, Non Fiction, Writers on Writing

Oct 26: Tuesdays in Jail with Author Tina Welling

Book Cover Tuesdays in Jail by Tina WellingWhat I Learned Teaching Journaling to Inmates

When Tina Welling volunteered to teach journaling at her local county jail, little did she know how much she’d learn about herself, and how much she and the inmates had in common.

Eleven years into her teaching journey, Tina shares some of the stories from her new book Tuesdays in Jail. We discuss what she learned about even the most hardened criminals. What working with inmates taught Tina about self-awareness, and helped her overcome some of her own limitations, providing growth in ways she didn’t expect.

About Tina Welling

The author of the novels Cowboys Never CryFairy Tale Blues, and Crybaby Ranch, Tina Welling also wrote Writing Wild: Forming a Creative Partnership with Nature (listen to our podcast on Writing Wild.) Tina Welling is the recipient of a Wyoming Arts Council writing fellowship, and has been conducting Writing Wild workshops for ten years. She lives in Jackson, Wyoming. More on Tuesdays in Jail.

 

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Fiction, Non Fiction, Short Stories, Writers on Writing

Oct 19: Gary Lippman One Sentence Stories

Book jacket - We Loved the World But Could Not StayStories for People with Short Attention Spans

Why one-sentence stories? Because author Gary Lippman wanted to rise to the challenge, and “…because imperfection is easier to tolerate in small doses.”

He’s kidding about that last part, of course, and ended up writing more than 300 one-sentence stories. Some true, some partially true, some total fiction—all are well told, and full of wit and wisdom. So, what went into writing We Loved the World But Could Not Stay, and which stories are true? Listen up!

About Gary Lippman

We Loved the World But Could Not Stay is Gary Lippmans second book.  His first, a novel, Set the Controls for the Heart of Sharon Tate was published in 2019. Lippman’s play Paradox Lust ran off-Broadway in 2001, and his journalism has appeared in The Paris Review, Literary Hub, VICE, The New York Times, and Fodor’s Travel Guides. Gary Lippman has a law degree from Northwestern University, and has worked with New York City’s Innocence Project.

 

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Memoir, Non Fiction

Oct 12: Escaping the Children of God Cult – Daniella Mestyanek Young

Uncultured: A Memoir

Daniella Mestyanek Young was a third-generation Family member to a group better known as the Children of God. She was raised from birth to believe the world outside was dangerous, full of evil people — and that childhood sex with multiple older men was normal. It was God’s will.

Yet when she was just 15 years old, Daniella had the fortitude to escape everything she knew, put herself through school, and forge a new career — only to find herself back in another “cult”.

We discuss how to identify culture vs. cult. The three phases to leaving a cult. How telling her story after many years of hiding the truth helped Daniella overcome imposter syndrome and build a healthy new life with a real family.

About Daniella Mestyanek Young

American author and speaker Daniella Mestyanek Young was raised in the religious cult the Children of God. She later served as an intelligence officer for more than six years in the US Army, achieving the rank of captain, and became one of the first women in US Army history to conduct deliberate ground combat operations on a Female Engagement Team. Daniella’s the recipient of the President’s Volunteer Service Award and is currently finalizing her master’s degree in industrial and organizational psychology from the Harvard Extension School. Her new book is Uncultured.

 

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