Show Schedule | CONVERSATIONS LIVE with VICKI ST. CLAIR | Talk Radio to Inspire, Inform, Ignite.

Apr 08: Creating A Dream Home On a Wild Blue Ridge Mountaintop in Virgina

April 8, 2026

Author Paula Whyman’s venture to restore her mountain wilderness

Bad Naturalist with author Paula Whyman

How does someone who knows nothing about ecological restoration successfully rehab 200 acres of retired farmland on top of wild mountain?

Well, Paula Whyman didn’t know the answer to that either, but she plunged ahead regardless and ultimately wrote about her journey in Bad Naturalist: One Woman’s Ecological Education on a Wild Virginia Mountaintop. It’s part memoir, part conservation science, and part cautionary tale about “buyer beware of big dream about fantasy land”.

Facing her own limitations with self-deprecating humor, we discuss Paula’s story of perseverance, frustration, learning, discovery, determination, and wonder as she met unforeseen challenges, highs, lows, and the unexpected enormity of clearing invasive foliage and restoring her own mountain top to create a natural ecosystem.

The supreme lesson: Nature is always the boss!

Meet Paula Whyman

Paula Whyman’s Bad Naturalist: One Woman’s Ecological Education on a Wild Virginia Mountaintop is a blend of memoir, natural history, and conservation science. Paula Whyman’s nonfiction has been featured on NPR, and in the Washington Post, The American Scholar, and The Rumpus. She is co-founder and editor-in-chief of the literary journal Scoundrel Time. Her stories have appeared in journals including McSweeney’s Quarterly and Virginia Quarterly Review, and her fiction was selected for the anthology Writes of Passage: Coming-of-Age Stories and Memoirs from The Hudson Review.

Fiction, Suspense, Thriller, Writers on Writing

Apr 01: New York Times Bestselling Author Kate White with I Came Back For You

April 1, 2026

When her daughter’s murderer makes a deathbed confession, a mother risks everything in search of truth and justice.

I Came Back For You with Kate White

“Bree will do anything to find justice for her daughter and finish this nightmare forever. The real killer could still be out there, and as Bree begins digging through her daughter Melanie’s past, she questions everything she was led to believe — about the crime, the killer, and Melanie.“

Kate White joins us with her 19th novel, and new psychological thriller, I Came Back For You.

We discuss everything from the storyline and plot, and what it takes to keep a psychological thriller moving and suspenseful, to Kate White’s experience as editor-in-chief at Cosmopolitan, living in Uruguay, eco-tourism, and winning advice she received from other authors when she first began writing novels.

Meet Kate White

Kate White is the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of 19 novels of suspense: 11 standalone psychological thrillers, including the latest I Came Back for You and eight Bailey Weggins mysteries.

A former Glamour magazine Top Ten College Women Contest winner and cover girl, Kate had a long career in the media world, which included running five national magazines. For fourteen years she was the editor-in-chief of Cosmopolitan, which under her became the most successful magazine in single copy sales in the U.S. Though she loved her magazine career, she decided to leave twelve years ago to concentrate full-time on another passion: Writing suspense fiction.

Non Fiction, Psychology, Social Issues

Mar 25: The Culting of America with Daniella Mestyanek Young

March 25, 2026

What Makes a Cult & Why We Love Them

The Culting of America: What Makes a Cult and Why We Love Them with Daniella Mestyanek Young

“You’re probably in a cult. You just don’t know it yet.”

Last time we spoke with Daniella Mestyanek Young it was about Uncultured and Daniella’s escape from the insidious Children of God cult. But not all cult-like situations are the same (think corporations, groups, organizations, clubs) and recognizing you’re in a high-control situation is half the battle.

Today we discuss Daniella’s new book, The Culting of America: What Makes A Cult & Why We Love Them. We share what makes cults dangerous, how to recognize the signs of high-control before it’s too late, and why we get sucked into them.

We explore the difference between cults, groups, and fan clubs. And look at a couple of well-known organizations fitting the “10 criteria framework” of all cults. Daniella’s driving force in her work: Why do we give ourselves over to groups — and how do we get our power back?

Meet Daniella Mestyanek Young

Daniella Mestyanek Young is a cult survivor, U.S. Army veteran, Harvard-trained organizational psychologist, and the author of two books about high-control groups—her critically- acclaimed memoir Uncultured. And her latest, The Culting of America. Born into the Children of God—the infamous sex cult known for weaponizing religion, sexuality, and isolation—Daniella escaped at fifteen, only to join another high-control institution: the United States Army. She became one of the first women to serve on an integrated ground combat team in Army history, while working as an intelligence officer who studied terrorists for a living. Her work sits at the intersection of leadership, identity, group psychology, and coercive control.

History, Nature, Non Fiction, Science

Mar 18: Metamorphosis with Professor Oren Harman

March 18, 2026

From butterflies to art & the meditation of a father-to-be, how metamorphosis informs us about ourselves, change, & interconnectedness

Metamorphosis: A Natural and Human History with Professor Oren Harman

Professor Oren Harman‘s latest book, Metamorphosis: A Natural and Human History, tackles one of biology’s oldest and most wondrous riddles: Why do three-quarters of all animal species on earth undergo some form of metamorphosis?

Part science history, part memoir, part philosophy, and part meditation of a father-to-be, the stories in Metamorphosis take us from Aristotle to Darwin, and the cutting edge of molecular biology and humanity.

We explore how metamorphosis has inspired centuries of philosophers, artists, writers, and culture. We also discuss why a caterpillar must dissolve and rewire it’s brain to become a butterfly. Freud’s obsession with eel testicles (yes, you read that right!) Why ‘Benjamin Button’ jellyfish grow younger in the ocean’s depths.

And, what metamorphosis teaches us about the human self, connection, and change.

Meet Professor Oren Harman

Professor Oren Harman has written numerous acclaimed books including: The Man Who Invented the Chromosome; Rebels, Mavericks and Heretics in Biology; and The Price of Altruism, which won the 2010 Los Angeles Times Book Prize for Best Book of the Year in Science and Technology. It was also a New York Times Notable Book of the Year and was nominated for the Pulitzer prize. Professor Harman is Senior Research Fellow at the Van Leer Jerusalem Institute, and teaches at the Graduate Program in Science Technology and Society at Bar Ilan University. Trained in history and biology at the Hebrew University, Oxford, and Harvard, Harman is a historian of science and has written widely for popular and professional audiences on genetics, evolution, history and philosophy of science, altruism, biography, and science and mythology. Today we discuss Professor Harman’s latest work Metamorphosis: A Natural and Human History.

Conservation, Environment, Nature, Non Fiction

Mar 11: Less Work, More Nature. Rewild Your Garden & Ditch Your Lawnmower for Good with Danae Wolfe

March 11, 2026

What if the most impactful conservation effort you can make begins with your own backyard?

Grass Isn’t Greener: The Everyday Conservationist’s Guide to Bringing Nature to Your Yard with author Danae Wolfe

In Grass Isn’t Greener: The Everyday Conservationist’s Guide to Bringing Nature to Your Yard, photographer and conservationist Danae Wolfe shares how you can make your garden less work and more enjoyable.

Among the things we discuss today: The real benefits of ditching your lawnmower, and how to simplify your outdoor space, while making it more beautiful by inviting butterflies, birds. bees, and wildlife to visit

Danae shares how to create a simple butterfly puddle-station. Why invasive plants are more problematic than you think. And, we discuss some of the small changes that can save you time and energy, while reaping big conservation rewards.

Meet Danae Wolfe

Danae Wolfe is a macro photographer and conservation educator. Wolfe’s new book – full of color photos and quick, easy ways to support nature and rewilding – is Grass Isn’t Greener: The Everyday Conservationist’s Guide to Bringing Nature to Your Yard. In 2015 she founded Chasing Bugs and teaches others about the beauty, diversity, and importance of insects and spiders through photography, public speaking, and writing. Danae’s work has been featured in various outlets including CNN, The American Gardener magazine, and Nature Conservancy magazine. In 2022 Danae received the Garden Communicators International Emergent Communicator award.

Fiction, Suspense, Thriller, Writers on Writing

Mar 04: NYT Bestselling Author Caitlin Rother’s New Thriller – Hooked

March 5, 2026

His Case. Her Story. Their hearts on the line.

Hooked – A Thriller with Caitlin Rother

In Caitlin Rother‘s new thriller, Hooked, two biotech execs from a company developing a new drug turn up dead in the ritzy enclave of La Jolla, San Diego. Things don’t add up. But when journalist Kate Chopin and surfing homicide detective Ken Goode show up to investigate … well, sparks fly for more than one reason.

Caitlin Rother shares insights into: How she developed her storyline. How and why she wanted both lead characters to be “good” ethical people; how she kept them interesting and slightly flawed. Challenges of writing fiction.

We also discuss shared connections between protagonists Kate and Ken, and author Caitlin, of losing someone close to suicide. And Caitlin shares her nostalgia for the days of good old-fashioned newsrooms, when the truth came out, no matter what the cost.

Meet Caitlin Rother

Caitlin Rother is a New York Times bestselling author, Pulitzer-nominated investigative reporter, and the woman behind 16 true crime books — including Death on Ocean Boulevard, the haunting investigation into the mysterious death of Rebecca Zahau that’s now being developed as a TV series. She’s appeared on 20/20, Investigation Discovery, and Netflix. Caitlin Rother has a degree in psychology and a masters in journalism. Her first novel Naked Addiction introduced homicide detective, Ken Goode. Today he returns in Hooked.

Fiction, Thriller, Writers on Writing

Feb 26: #1 International Bestselling Author Steve Berry with The Devil’s Bible

February 25, 2026

Steve Berry celebrates the 20th book in Cotton Malone thriller series

The Devil’s Bible, A Cotton Malone Novel with Steve Berry

Today we celebrate a milestone with Steve Berry that very few thriller writers reach. The Devil’s Bible is Berry’s 20th novel featuring the same hero — Cotton Malone.

Blending real-life history with a flair for creative license is Berry’s trademark. The Devil’s Bible blends conspiracies, loyalties, betrayals, countries at odds, and our familiar favorite characters along with breakneck pacing.

In this latest adventure, Cotton and Cassiopeia are back, and working together. We dig a little into their relationship and how these characters have grown over two decades of missions, close calls, and complicated feelings.

Steve discusses his research trip to Stockholm. And shares insight into one of history’s most unsettling, yet fascinating, artifacts: The Devil’s Bible.

Meet Steve Berry

Steve Berry is the New York Times and #1 internationally bestselling author of 26 novels, including The Devil’s Bible. His books have been translated into 41 languages with over 26,000,000 copies in 52 countries. They consistently appear in the top echelon of The New York Times, USA Today, and Indie bestseller lists. Somewhere in the world, every thirty seconds, one of his novels is sold.

Inspirational

Feb 18: A New Orleans Pup That Won Hearts Around the Globe with Kaye Courington

February 18, 2026

Author Kaye Courington with SCRIM: A New Orleans Story of Resilience & Rescue

How SCRIM evaded capture for months while a whole city chased him.

What do you get when you mix a scrappy terrier, two gunshot wounds, flight from a second-storey window, a hurricane, a six-inch snowstorm, and the entire city of New Orleans on a nine-month search and rescue mission?

You get SCRIM: A New Orleans Story of Resilience and Rescue — a beautifully illustrated picture book about the true story that made headlines around the globe.

From The New York Times, The Washington Post, and The Wall Street Journal to international publications and news stations around the world, the story of SCRIM had us glued to our screens routing for the scruffy white dog who outsmarted an entire city.

My guest today is Kaye Courington, the debut author of SCRIM: A New Orleans Story of Resilience and Rescue.

Meet Kaye Courington

As an award-winning New Orleans attorney, a CEO, community leader, and animal advocate Kaye Courington has dedicated her life to service. She wrote this book because, “Scrim’s story represents the resiliency and strong community of New Orleans.” Kaye is a lifelong advocate for animal welfare, and has worked tirelessly to promote rescue, rehabilitation and responsible adoption. SCRIM: A New Orleans Story of Resilience and Rescue is Kaye Courington’s first book. She is donating all author royalties of SCRIM to local animal rescues. Illustrations by Aileen Bennett,

Conservation, Humor, Memoir, Nature, Non Fiction, Wildlife

Feb 11: Return of the Osprey with NYT Bestselling Author David Gessner

February 11, 2026

“Where is home? And how do we get there?“

Return of the Osprey with David Gessner

Celebrating the 25th Anniversary Edition of Return of the Osprey: A Season of Flight and Wonder.

David Gessner writes with passion, humor, and a reverence for the natural world that spills into our conversation about Return of the Osprey: A Season of Flight and Wonder.

We discuss David’s personal journey as he immersed himself for an entire nesting season in the lives of Cape Cod’s ospreys. Why did they almost become extinct? How did conservation efforts revive them? And what currently threatens their existence?

We learn what did David Gessner discovered about these beautiful creatures – and himself. And how, with so much research and studying, he approached writing Return of the Osprey: A Season of Flight and Wonder.

Meet David Gessner

David Gessner is a professor at the University of North Carolina Wilmington, and the founder and Editor-in-Chief of the literary magazine, Ecotone. His writing has been featured in the New York Times Magazine, Outside, Sierra, Audubon, Orion, and many other publications. Awards include a Pushcart Prize and the John Burroughs Award for Best Nature Essay for his essay Learning to Surf. He’s also won the Association for Study of Literature and the Environment’s award for best book of creative writing, and the Reed Award for Best Book on the Southern Environment. In 2017 he hosted the National Geographic Explorer show, The Call of the Wild. He’s the author of 14 books that blend a love of nature, humor, memoir, and environmentalism, including the New York Times bestselling, All the Wild That Remains, Return of the Osprey, Sick of Nature and Leave It As It Is.

Historical, Journalism, Memoir, Non Fiction, Writers on Writing

Feb 04: Money, Ambition, Succession, Power, & Dark Family Secrets

February 4, 2026

John Seabrook reveals the true story behind The Spinach King

The Spinach King – The Rise and Fall of an American Dynasty with author John Seabrook

You might wonder why John Seabrook, a successful author and New Yorker staff writer “felt an obligation” to turn his investigative reporting skills towards his own family and its American legacy.

But when you hear the true story – with the fiction-like twists and betrayals behind the legacy facade – the question then becomes, how did John Seabrook manage to stay objective while writing THE SPINACH KING: The Rise and Fall of an American Dynasty.

We dive into that question with John, as we expose some of the greed, corruption, and dark family secrets behind The Spinach King. To John he was just Grandfather. To Japanese Americans who worked at Seabrook Farms, following internment, he was God-sent. But to most, he was Charles Franklin Seabrook, a man you did not cross. A man so powerful, he was named the Henry Ford of Agriculture.

Meet John Seabrook

John Seabrook is a prominent American journalist. He’s written for The New Yorker for more than three decades and is known for exploring the intersection of pop culture, technology, and commerce. John Seabrook has also authored several notable books, including The Song Machine (2015) and Nobrow. And has contributed to publications such as Vanity Fair, Harper’s, and The Village Voice. Today, John Seabrook joins us to discuss his 2025 family memoir, The Spinach King: The Rise and Fall of an American Dynasty.

Apr 08: Creating A Dream Home On a Wild Blue Ridge Mountaintop in Virgina

Author Paula Whyman’s venture to restore her mountain wilderness

Meet Paula Whyman

Apr 01: New York Times Bestselling Author Kate White with I Came Back For You

When her daughter’s murderer makes a deathbed confession, a mother risks everything in search of truth and justice.

Meet Kate White

Mar 18: Metamorphosis with Professor Oren Harman

From butterflies to art & the meditation of a father-to-be, how metamorphosis informs us about ourselves, change, & interconnectedness

Meet Professor Oren Harman

Mar 11: Less Work, More Nature. Rewild Your Garden & Ditch Your Lawnmower for Good with Danae Wolfe

What if the most impactful conservation effort you can make begins with your own backyard?

Meet Danae Wolfe

Mar 04: NYT Bestselling Author Caitlin Rother’s New Thriller – Hooked

His Case. Her Story. Their hearts on the line.

Meet Caitlin Rother

Feb 26: #1 International Bestselling Author Steve Berry with The Devil’s Bible

Steve Berry celebrates the 20th book in Cotton Malone thriller series

Meet Steve Berry

Feb 18: A New Orleans Pup That Won Hearts Around the Globe with Kaye Courington

How SCRIM evaded capture for months while a whole city chased him.

Meet Kaye Courington

Feb 11: Return of the Osprey with NYT Bestselling Author David Gessner

“Where is home? And how do we get there?“

Celebrating the 25th Anniversary Edition of Return of the Osprey: A Season of Flight and Wonder.

Meet David Gessner

Feb 04: Money, Ambition, Succession, Power, & Dark Family Secrets

John Seabrook reveals the true story behind The Spinach King

Meet John Seabrook

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