Social Issues | CONVERSATIONS LIVE with VICKI ST. CLAIR

Business, Career, Non Fiction, Personal Development, Self-help, Social Issues

JUN 18: Kate Davies’ Intrinsic Hope, Maia Duerr’s Work That Matters, & Aaron Edelheit’s The Hard Break

June 10, 2018

We are living in an era of unprecedented crisis, resulting in widespread feelings of fear, despair, and grief. Now, more than ever, maintaining hope for the future is a monumental task. Intrinsic Hope: Living Courageously in Troubled Times by Kate Davies, M.A.D., offers a powerful antidote to these feelings.

Kate Davies has worked with numerous nongovernmental and governmental organizations on environmental issues, including Greenpeace, and is currently core faculty at Antioch University Seattle’s Center for Creative Change and Clinical Associate Professor in the School of Public Health at the University of Washington.

Are you trapped in wage slavery at a dead end job, not knowing how to channel your talents to your real life’s purpose? In Work That Matters: Create a Livelihood that Reflects Your Core Intention, life coach Maia Duerr shares her “6 Keys to Liberation-Based Live-lihood” to point you in a positive direction towards breaking that glass ceiling.

Maia is a writer, organizational consultant, and coach for people going through life and career transitions, drawing years of Zen meditation practice and training in anthropology to create powerful tools for integrating mindfulness into the workplace and home life.

Aaron Edelheit used to work so hard, it nearly killed him. In The Hard Break: The Case for a 24/6 Lifestyle, he breaks down the myths around productivity, revealing how taking a one day “hard break” each week to reset can be a life-changing experience, and shares the seven steps to a successful Sabbath.

Aaron is the Chief Strategy Officer for FLO Technologies. He is the founder of Mindset Capital, a private investment firm, and serves on the board of Moishe House Foundation, also partnering with Social Venture Partners in Santa Barbara working on homelessness.

Fiction, Health & Wellness, Memoir, Social Issues, Writers on Writing

JUN 04: Brendan Kiely’s Tradition & Edward Hallowell’s Because I Come From a Crazy Family

May 16, 2018

High school English teacher Brendan Kiely was always on the hunt for books that would not only excite his students to learn the skills needed to study and practice in class, but also inspire them to think critically about their role in society, developing who they are and helping form their beliefs. Award-winning author Kiely explores the insidious nature of a traditional boarding school in Tradition (is not an excuse).

Brendan is a New York Times bestseller whose numerous awards include the Walter Dean Myers Award, and Best Fiction for Young Adults by the American Library Association twice.

Later, Dr. Edward M. Hallowell turned an eye inward towards his emotionally complex upbringing, using it to build a successful life and career. He chronicles his childhood inspiration in his new memoir, Because I Come From a Crazy Family: The Making of a Psychiatrist.

Dr. Hallowell is a bestselling author of over 20 books on attention deficit disorder and emotional well-being. He is founder of the Hallowell Centers for Cognitive and Emotional Health, one of which is based in Seattle. His national tour brings him to University Bookstore in Seattle on June 15th.

Fiction, Social Issues, Writers on Writing

APR 09: Dr. John Sessa’s The Road to Yulin … and Beyond & S. Craig Zahler’s Hug Chickenpenny

April 5, 2018

The Road to Yulin … and Beyond covers the last two years of Real Housewives of Beverly Hills and Vanderpump Rules star Lisa Vanderpump’s non-profit, The Vanderpump Dog Foundation’s, mission trips to China to expose the torture that occurs during the annual Yulin Dog Meat Festival. Led by their business partner, Dr. John Sessa, the film gives an in depth look at the dichotomy between companionship-based human/canine relationships exhibited in many countries, and the horrific and brutal interactions that dogs face in parts of the world that have an unrestrained dog meat trade.

Dr. John Sessa joins Vicki today to help not only raise awareness of the heinous and barbaric treatment these dogs receive, but to show you how you can get involved as well in stopping these atrocities.

Dr. Sessa is the Executive Director of The Vanderpump Dog Foundation and co-founder of Vanderpump Pets. The Road to Yulin … and Beyond is Dr. Sessa’s directorial, writing and producing debut.

Later, being a multi-faceted creator (he directs, writes both novels and screenplays, and is a musician), S. Craig Zahler has the ability to not only select which angle to attack the projects he chooses to work on, but also to enter the mindset of his characters in unique ways. His latest novel is Hug Chickenpenny, a gothic, Dickensian take on The Elephant Man.

S. Craig is an award-winning screenwriter, director, novelist, cinematographer and musician.

Health & Wellness, Non Fiction, Personal Development, Social Issues

MAR 26: George Lynn’s Breaking the Trance & Tara Cousineau’s The Kindness Cure

March 9, 2018

Today’s children are constantly distracted by notification beeps, texts, floating messenger icons, and social media apps that deliver a shot of dopamine to the brain with every new “like” or “share”. Breaking the Trance: A Practical Guide for Parenting the Screen-Dependent Child offers proven solutions to help anyone break their obsession, and develop a healthier relationship with technology.

Author George T. Lynn, MA, is a Licensed Mental Health Counselor who pioneered the use of psychotherapy for those with neuropsychological issues. He has lectured internationally and is the author of four popular books on parenting children with extreme behavior challenges.

Co-author Cynthia C. Johnson, MA, is the founding director of the Venture Program at Bellevue College, the first degree program in the nation for students with learning and intellectual disabilities.

Also today, our current political climate might have you wondering “What happened to kindness?” According to Dr. Tara Cousineau, science has proven what ancient wisdom always claimed, that kindness is a happiness fix. In The Kindness Cure: How the Science of Compassion Can Heal Your Heart and Your World, you’ll explore how to strengthen relationships and promote compassion toward ourselves and others.

Dr. Cousineau has a PhD in Clinical Psychology and is a former Harvard Medical School Fellow and a licensed psychologist with a private practice.

Inspirational, Non Fiction, Social Issues, Women's Issues

MAR 05: Roseann Lake’s Leftover in China & Brad Meltzer’s Ordinary People Change the World

February 22, 2018

There is a quiet cultural revolution going on in one of the world’s biggest superpowers. Chinese men traditionally do not want their women to be well-educated or high achieving, but the women of China are taking a stand. Leftover in China: The Women Shaping the World’s Next Superpower is a revealing look at some of the women who are changing the way China operates.

Author Roseann Lake is The Economist’s Cuba correspondent. She was previously based in Beijing, where she spent time as a television reporter and journalist. Her China coverage has appeared in Foreign Policy, The Atlantic, Salon and Vice, among others.

Our second guest today became frustrated a few years back as he realized his three children were idolizing princesses and reality stars; as a history buff, he knew that there were better heroes for his kids to look up to. Inspired, Brad Meltzer created his wildly successful Ordinary People Change the World series to educate kids on real heroes throughout the history of mankind.

Brad Meltzer is a #1 New York Times bestselling Fiction author, and has the distinction of being the only author to also appear on the bestselling list in the Children’s Books, Non-Fiction, Advice, and Comics categories. He is also a noted History Channel host.

Biography, Conservation, Non Fiction, Social Issues

DEC 18: Dian Fossey: Secrets in the Mist & The Collected Letters of Alan Watts

December 15, 2017

Filmmaker Zara Hayes takes an in-depth look at Dian Fossey, from her lonely childhood to what drove her to endanger her own life for the sake of the gorillas of Rwanda. Dian Fossey: Secrets in the Mist reveals the inside story of the tragically murdered activist.

Zara is a British filmmaker who works between the UK and the USA. The production of Dian Fossey: Secrets in the Mist was aided by National Geographic and is voiced by Sigourney Weaver.

Today, we’ll also take a journey into the mind of British author and philosopher Alan Watts, who greatly influenced 60’s counter-culture with his interpretations of Buddhism and Zen philosophy. His daughter, Joan Watts, captures the colorful and controversial life of her father in The Collected Letters of Alan Watts.

For this collection, Watts’s letters were curated by two of his daughters, Joan and Anne Watts, who have added behind-the-scenes biographical commentary.

Inspirational, Non Fiction, Social Issues

NOV 27: Helen Thorpe’s The Newcomers & The American Heritage Dictionary’s Steve Kleinedler

November 19, 2017

Immigration is one of the most divisive issues in the United States, and yet there are still millions trying to make a better life for themselves here. Today, we put a human face to those trying to build a new life from scratch, and the unimaginable hardships in their way.

Award-winning writer Helen Thorpe introduces you to some of these families in The Newcomers: Finding Refuge, Friendship, and Hope in an American Classroom. Helen has been a staff writer for The New York Observer, The New Yorker, and has written freelance stories for the New York Times Magazine, among other publications.

Later, we encourage you to drink a gose to wash down your plate of shakshuka, because to be the GOAT, you can’t give in to orthorexia. What, you need a translation?

Well then, returning guest Steve Kleinedler, Executive Editor of The American Heritage Dictionary, is at your service. He’ll define some of the weirder and wilder examples out of the 400 words and senses that were added to the dictionary this year.

You’ll find out from Steve if you are a prepper, or perhaps a snowflake, as well as some fascinating science and technology terms.

Journalism, Personal Development, Social Issues

Sep 18: Helene Segura Returns & Nomadland

August 30, 2017

National Procrastination Day is September 6th … shoot, we put this off by almost two weeks! Nevertheless, Helene Segura MA Ed returns to Conversations Live to help you reevaluate the way you prioritize your time — so no more putting off the things that are most important to you.

Helene is a time management consultant who combines neuroscience, educational psychology, and pop culture to teach clients and keynote/training audiences how to improve work-day efficiencies so they can have a life outside. Her book is The Inefficiency Assassin.

You might dream about loading up an RV and living a road warrior’s life when you retire, but for some, van-dwelling is their last option. Nomadland: Surviving America in the Twenty-First Century documents the stories of itinerant citizens who gave up traditional lifestyles to travel from short-term job-to-job, trying simply to survive.

Award-winning journalist Jessica Bruder spent months living in a camper to witness firsthand the “Workamper” lifestyle. Jessica has taught at Columbia Journalism School for nearly a decade, and been published in numerous periodicals and newspapers.

Fiction, Health & Wellness, Social Issues

Oct 03: 1] Nine Island 2] Your Best Healthcare Now

October 3, 2016

Jane Alison’s new release Nine Island is a smart, darkly funny, and decidedly feminist examination of middle age sexuality and romantic love in which the narrator struggles with what it means to feel desire and crave romantic love.

With healthcare costs at a premium and insurance being a confusing and frustrating nightmare of details and fine print, Your Best Health Care Now: Get Doctor Discounts, Save With Better Health Insurance, Find Affordable Prescriptions by prize-winning investigative journalist Frank Lalli comes to the rescue as a guide to crack the system and make sure you are getting the right treatments and prescriptions at the right cost.

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!

Jane Alison, aided by the advice of her friends and the poetic philosophies she studies, struggles with what it means to feel desire and crave romantic love in her new autobiographical novel Nine Island. Jane has authored a memoir and three novels and was the translator of Ovid’s stories of sexual transformation, Change Me. She is Professor and Director of Creative Writing at the University of Virginia.

When Frank Lalli was diagnosed with multiple myeloma, a potentially terminal blood cancer, he put his reporter’s instincts to work and ultimately got the lifesaving $571-a-day drug he needed…for free. Learn how to crack the system in his new book, Your Best Health Care Now: Get Doctor Discounts, Save With Better Health Insurance, Find Affordable Prescriptions. Frank is the former editor of Money, George, and Readers Digest International magazines and worked as an investigative reporter for Forbes. Currently the special health correspondent for Parade, he has devoted his career to getting to the bottom of a good story.

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