“This is my story of growing up in and escaping a cult, only to find myself chasing adrenaline and drugs in hopes of finding a shred of self-worth before finally landing in a remote community where I lived in silence, quieted my demons, and found the courage to love myself.” Wholly Unraveled is activist Keele Burgin’s memoir on survival and self-discovery.
Keele is an entrepreneur, activist, mother of three, author, and filmmaker. She has served in leadership roles on the boards of multiple non-profit organizations that empower women.
To end our show, we invite you to join us in celebrating 12 years of Conversations Live with Vicki St. Clair! Vicki’s brought you more than 1,000 guests over the years, on topics ranging from psychology and self-help, to creativity and designing the life you choose, memoir, fiction, adventure, and the latest in health and science.
You might be the type to have a few close friends, or you might be a social butterfly with acquaintances coming out of the woodwork, but in either case, you have to admit friendship is full of complexities. Poet and novelist Rosalind Brackenbury takes a deep dive into friendship in her new book Without Her. Today, we’ll explore why friendships last or don’t, why it gets more difficult to find lasting friendships with age, and how to spot red flags of a toxic relationship before it’s too late.
Award-winning writer Rosalind is a former writer-in-residence at the College of William and Mary in Williamsburg, Virginia, and has also served as poet laureate of Key West, teaching poetry workshops.
Later, you’ll learn the 8 red flags that you may be in a toxic relationship, and how to get out of it with Dr. Susan Heitler, whose mantra is “Resolution, not conflict.”
Susan Heitler, PhD., is an integrative therapist, drawing from a broad range of treatment techniques to aid her clients in dealing effectively with their problems. She is also an author and TedX speaker.
“2 children for sale” reads the sign sitting on a farmhouse porch in 1931. The sign is a last resort, but could be found anywhere in an era of breadlines, bank runs, and broken dreams. Sold on a Monday author Kristina McMorris discusses how she weaves historical fact into fiction to create a powerful and compelling story.
Kristina is a New York Times and USA Today bestselling author. Her novels have garnered more than two dozen prestigious awards and nominations.
Next, Kristan Higgins admits that most of her books have a dog in them , her logic being that life without a dog is pretty lonely to contemplate. Her latest novel is Good Luck with That, a story of two women on a journey to self-acceptance.
Kristan is a New York Times, USA TODAY, Wall Street Journal and Publishers Weekly bestselling author of 18 novels, and recipient of dozens of awards for her writing.
Finally, Lori Foster joins talks about the first novel in her Summer Resort Series, Cooper’s Charm, a tale of two sisters and how a summer in a lakeside resort brings redemption and healing.
Lori is a New York Times, USA Today, and Publishers Weekly bestselling author of more than 100 titles. She is the recipient of the prestigious RT Book Reviews Career Achievement Award for Series Romantic Fantasy, and for Contemporary Romance.
Today’s show kicks off with a buzzworthy guest … literally. Meredith May learned some of life’s most pivotal lessons about community, loyalty and survival from one of nature’s most fragile and important creatures. Raised by her fourth generation beekeeper grandfather while her mother’s mental state slowly deteriorated, Merediths found everything she needed to know about family was buzzing right there in the hive. Her new memoir is The Honey Bus: A Memoir of Courage and a Girl Saved by Bees.
Meredith spent sixteen years at the San Francisco Chronicle, where her narrative reporting won the PEN USA Literary Award for Journalism and was shortlisted for the Pulitzer Prize. She is a fifth generation beekeeper.
Later, frustrated by how little has changed in the 20 years since first writing about sexual assault in her groundbreaking, award-winning novel Speak, Laurie Halse Anderson reveals her personal history as a survivor of sexual assault and her journey to healing in her new book SHOUT. Today, she’ll discuss solutions to this ongoing problem, sharing key insights from among the thousands of women she has interviewed over the last two decades.
Laurie’s is a New York Times bestseller whose writing spans young readers, teens, and new adults. In addition to combatting censorship, she regularly speaks about the need for diversity in publishing and is a member of RAINN’s National Leadership Council.
What do the tough do, when the going gets tough? They Keep Going, which just happens to be the name of Austin Kleon‘s new book where he shares 10 ways to stay creative in good times and bad.
We’ll find out why this “writer who draws” describes himself as a mongrel, and how that benefits his work. Why he says life is for art, and not other way around. And, the big question that many have asked over the past few months in light of scandalous celebrity behavior, can you separate the art from the man, and the man from the art?
Austin Kleon’s New York Times bestselling books include Steal Like an Artist, and Show Your Work.
Want a fun, educational, and free activity to enjoy with your kids? Try star gazing. Andrew Fazekas, aka the “Night Sky Guy”, turned his life-long passion into his career. Today, he shares fun science facts such as what causes the elusive “green flash” at sunset. He also discusses his partnership with National Geographic in taking the world’s first open air augmented-reality planetarium to a global audience. Explore the cosmos with him in Backyard Guide to the Night Sky.
A science writer, speaker, and broadcaster Andrew Fazekas writes the StarStruck for National Geographic, and is the author of Star Trek: The Official Guide to Our Universe.
Tammy Nelson, PhD is a sex and relationship expert, an international speaker, an author and a licensed psychotherapist with almost thirty years of experience working with individuals and couples. Enjoy her previous appearance here.
Returning guest Debra Gwartney, like many women, struggles with the challenges presented when trying to find that authentic connection with where your roots are … or where you are trying to lay them down. In I am a Stranger Here Myself, Debra weaves frontier history into a personal exploration of womanhood, place, and a sense of belonging.
Debra is a Pacific University Professor, journalist, and author who grew up in Idaho and now tries to find a sense of permanence on on the upper McKenzie River on the west slope of the Cascade Mountains in Oregon. Listen to her original appearance on Conversations Live here.
National Geographic’s Carrie Miller was initially motivated to learn to dive by great white sharks … and her passion and discoveries have led her to raise awareness of the critical changes we need to make to ensure the future health of our oceans. You’ll come away from National Geographic’s 100 Dives of a Lifetime knowing why she calls the ocean the heartbeat of our planet.
Carrie has been covering travel for National Geographic since 1998. She is a two-time Lowell Thomas Award winner and acclaimed contributing editor at National Geographic Traveler magazine.
Designer Dogs: An Exposé Inside the Criminal Underworld of Crossbreeding — the title of Madeline Bernstein’s new book tells you exactly what we’ll discuss today, and why it’s so important to share this information and raise awareness of crossbreeding atrocities. The breeder who first introduced ‘designer dogs’ in the form of the Labradoodle, says if he knew how far people would take this unhealthy and dangerous obsession, he would never have started it.
Madeline Bernstein is the President of the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Los Angeles (SPSCA). A frequent speaker and commentator on issues relating to animal welfare, ethics, and law enforcement, she advocates for humane treatment and respect for animals.
You’ve seen countless life hack articles, but what about a hack to get through one of the most difficult events in life? Ann Grant, JD, offers The Divorce Hacker’s Guide to Untying the Knot for navigating the churning waters of divorce. Learn how to know when it’s time to give up on therapy, steps you should take BEFORE filing, and the way the new tax law will impact you. Most importantly, Ann will debunk the notion that a woman can’t create a new and better life on her own.
Ann Grant began her career as a corporate litigator specializing in unfair business practices and consumer fraud. Following her divorce she created her own firm, focusing on family law and a holistic approach to this life transition.
Jane has 25 years of experience as a career coach for universities and has run her own career counseling firm since 2002.
Next, do you run yourself ragged trying to do it all at home and work, smiling and not a hair out of place, because quite simply, failure is not an option? While young boys are taught to be bold and adventurous, young women are taught to be prim, proper, and demure. Brave, Not Perfect: Fear Less, Fail More, and Live Bolder by Reshma Saujani shows you how to end your love affair with perfection and rewire yourself for bravery.
Reshma began her career as an attorney and activist., surging onto the political scene in 2010 as the first Indian American woman to run for U.S. Congress. She is Founder and CEO of Girls Who Code, a national non-profit organization.
Linda is an experienced psychotherapist who integrates modern neuroscience, mindfulness practices, and relational psychology in her international trainings on resilience and well-being. She is a past winner of the Books for a Better Life Award.
Recent headlines have proven that women still have a long way to go to overcome patriarchal prejudices. Forget payscale for a moment, and other more obvious gender inequalities. We’re talking about being taken seriously as a valued human being. We’re talking about being heard when we say NO. When we file complaints about abuse or harassment. When we claim the right to express our feelings.
Alexia Vernon, branded “Moxie Maven” by President Obama’s White House Office of Public Engagement, is a leadership coach for Fortune 500 companies and the United Nations. With a graduate degree in women’s studies, she’s been featured on major networks and in publications such as Forbes Woman and Women’s Health.
Today’s show turns the invisible visible. Our guests expose the hidden costs of the invisible, often unpaid, and thankless labor you do everyday, and share how to create more sustaining relationships and communication skills while creating more fun time for yourself.
Even with technology (and often because of it) aiding us, most of us are drowning in an endless sea of paperwork, bills, texts, and e-mails, all tedious tasks that become overwhelming if we don’t stay on top of them. With Life Admin: How I Learned to Do Less, Do Better, and Live More, author Elizabeth Emens offers simple ways to reduce the time and effort we spend on these mundane daily details of life. Elizabeth is a legal scholar and an Isidor and Seville Sulzbacher Professor of Law at Columbia University.
Next, Psychotherapist Dr. Bryan Robinson says “If you are a workaholic, overachiever, or perfectionist, you have permission to stop working and #CHILL”. His new book, #CHILL: Turn Off Your Job and Turn On Your Life, explores how to get out of the trap of working non-stop and achieve a healthy work/life balance. Dr. Robinson is a psychotherapist and Professor Emeritus at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte. He has authored thirty nonfiction books and written for over one-hundred professional journals and magazines.
“This is my story of growing up in and escaping a cult, only to find myself chasing adrenaline and drugs in hopes of finding a shred of self-worth before finally landing in a remote community where I lived in silence, quieted my demons, and found the courage to love myself.” Wholly Unraveled is activist Keele Burgin’s memoir on survival and self-discovery.
