Health & Wellness, Non Fiction, Psychology, Self-help

May 14: Is Your Teen Depressed? Dr. Meredith Gansner Shares Important Insights for Parents

Teen Depression Gone Viral: Why Kids Are More Vulnerable Than Ever & How You Can Protect Your Child’s Health & Happiness

Teen Depression Gone Viral with author Dr. Meredith E. Gansner

Dr. Meredith Gansner says an episode of depression is not typically identified by one symptom, but by multiple risk factors – and that’s what we explore today, along with busting common myths around teen depression.

How do I know if my teen is just being a brat (aren’t they supposed to be?) versus sliding into a depressed state? How do I approach a teen who won’t talk to me about anything, let alone their feelings? How is digital media affecting them? How can I monitor my kid without invading their privacy?

And, since suicide is the second leading cause of death in 10-34 year olds, how can I detect early warning signs and intervene?

Meet Meredith E. Gansner, M.D.

Teen Depression Gone Viral: Why Kids Are More Vulnerable Than Ever & How You Can Protect Your Child’s Health & Happiness is the result of many years of research, psychiatric practice, and parenting. Meredith E. Gansner, MD, is an attending child psychiatrist at Boston Children’s Hospital and Instructor of Psychiatry at Harvard Medical School. Her award-winning research focuses on adolescent mental health and problematic digital media use.

Continue reading
Fiction, Thriller, Writers on Writing

May 07: Joanne Leedom-Ackerman on The Far Side of the Desert

A terrorist attack. A kidnapping. The ultimate vacation gone wrong.

The Far Side of the Desert with author Joanne Leedom-
Ackerman
Conversations Live On Air guest photo - headshot of Joanne Leedome-Ackerman holding her book and handwriting on a notepad.

Visit the The Far Side of the Desert today with storyteller Joanne Leedom-Ackerman as we discuss her latest novel — an international political thriller that takes us from Spain to Washington to Morocco to Gibraltar to the Sahara Desert.

What would you do if a loved one was kidnapped before your eyes in a foreign country? How far would you go to rescue them? What if you were the one kidnapped? Would you hold on to the faith that your family would find you?

We also discuss writing: What to consider when creating an international thriller, challenges of pacing and plot, character development, and more.

Meet Joanne Leedom-Ackerman

Award-winning author, journalist, and human rights advocate Joanne Leedom Ackerman — known for her powerful storytelling and deep insight into global issues — illuminates the human condition through her fiction and nonfiction works. Her fiction includes Burning Distance, The Dark Path to the River, and No Marble Angels. Joanne’s recent nonfiction book, PEN Journeys: Memoir of Literature on the Line, drew inspiration from her job as a vice president of the worldwide writers and human rights organization PEN International. She is also on the boards of the American Writers Museum, the International Center for Journalists, Words Without Borders, and Refugees International. She is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations and the Texas Institute of LettersThe Far Side of the Desert is her latest novel.

Continue reading
Fiction, Thriller, Writers on Writing

Apr 30: The Boomerang with Robert Bailey

One Man’s Fight for Family Uncovers a Shattering Government Secret

The Boomerang with author Robert Bailey

The Boomerang is a gripping political thriller inspired by a conspiracy theory and the author’s personal challenges.

Robert Bailey‘s story follows Eli James, Chief of Staff and best friend to the President of the United States. When the President’s terminal cancer mysteriously improves, Eli uncovers a devastating cover-up involving the government and Big Pharma, taking him from the White House to New Mexico..

We discuss all of this, as well as Robert’s own journey with his family’s issues; writing The Boomerang; character development, and more.

Meet Robert Bailey

Robert Bailey is the Wall Street Journal bestselling author of THE BOOMERANG, the Jason Rich series, the McMurtrie and Drake legal thrillers, the Bocephus Haynes series, and the inspirational novel, THE GOLFER’S CAROL. Robert’s books are imbued with a keen sense of justice and a profound understanding of what drives people to commit the worst crimes and fight hardest for those they love, gained from his decades as a civil defense trial lawyer in his hometown of Huntsville, Alabama.

Continue reading
Fiction, Suspense, Thriller, Writers on Writing, Young Adult Fiction

Apr 23: Hayley Krischer with You Belong to Me

What if living your most authentic life leaves you dead?

You Belong to Me with author Hayley Krischer

Hayley Krischer joins us to dive into You Belong to Me — a dark, atmospheric, emotionally charged YA novel that’s captivated teens and adults alike.

We discuss the underbelly of the wellness industry, a multi-trillion dollar economy encompassing many false claims and scams.

We look at character development and motivation. And why Hayley’s favorite characters were inspired by followers of an infamous cult (think Charles Manson). The challenges of pace in plot. And some of the themes at the heart of You Belong to Me such as the need for belonging, and what it means to trust yourself.

Meet Hayley Krischer

Hayley Krischer is an award-winning journalist who has written for the The New York Times, The Atlantic, Elle and more. She has an MFA from Lesley University. Her books include fiction and nonficiton. Find out more at her website.

Continue reading
Career, Creativity, Personal Development

Apr 16 : Punch Through Your Creative Blocks with Patti Dobrowolski

Tap Into and Harness the Creative Genius Hidden Inside of You

Creative Genius You, the Equation that Makes You Great with author Patti Dobrowolski

In Creative Genius You, The Equation That Makes YOU Great! Patti Dobrowolski’s simple formula helps you unlock a unique genius and creativity all of your own.

Today Patti shares how visual acuity can help liberate you from blocks and accelerate the creative process.

She provides insight into the subtle math behind goal achievement. Why granting yourself permission to listen to your inner voice is vital.

Patty explains the Desire + Love + Sweat equation. And the importance of developing our curiosity, intuition, and imagination.

About Patti Dobrowolski

Three-times TedX speaker, Patti Dobrowolski, is a critically acclaimed comic performer, international keynote speaker, writer, and business consultant. She has taught innovative visual practices to Fortune 500 companies, NGOs, and small businesses. In an earlier podcast you can hear about Patti Dobrowolski’s first book, Drawing Solutions: How Visual Goal Setting Will Change Your Life.

Continue reading
Business, Career, Creativity, Non Fiction

Apr 09: Stories Sell with GrandSLAM Champ Matthew Dicks

Stories Sell: Storyworthy Strategies to Grow Your Business and Your Brand

Stories Sell with author Matthew Dicks

Like it or not, everyone in the workforce today has a brand – whether you’re self-employed, a contractor, freelancer, or employee.

Some have more than one brand — Matthew Dicks is a high-school teacher, an author, keynote speaker, Moth GrandSLAM champ, consultant to Fortune 500 groups, and even a wedding DJ!

Some brands have commonalities. Some do not.

But at the heart of your ability to sell yourself, your work, your products, or services there’s a common link to success and connection. And that is storytelling.

Today we look at Matthew’s book, Stories Sell: Storyworthy Strategies to Grow Your Business and Your Brand. He shares how where most companies, salespeople, and marketers get storytelling wrong. Why you should focus first on story, then on purpose. And what makes the all-important 5-second Moment.

Meet Matthew Dicks – Bestselling Author, Moth StorySLAM & GrandSLAM Champion

Matthew Dicks is and expert storyteller and the internationally bestselling author of several novels, including Memoirs of an Imaginary Friend, and Something Missing. His nonfiction titles include books we’ve discussed on the show before: Storyworthy: Engage, Teach, Persuade and Change Your Life Through the Power of Storytelling. Someday is Today:  22 Simple Actionable Ways to Propel Your Creative Life. And his latest, Stories Sell: Storyworthy Strategies to Grow Your Business and our Brand. Matthew Dicks is a 56-time Moth StorySLAM Champion, and a 9-time GrandSLAM Champion, whose stories have been featured on the nationally syndicated Moth Radio Hour. His stories have also appeared on PBS’ Stories From the Stage.

Continue reading
History, Journalism, Non Fiction

Apr 02: Taking Manhattan with Russell Shorto

The Extraordinary Events that Created New York and Shaped America

Taking Manhattan with author Russell Shorto

It’s well known that in 1626, Indigenous inhabitants sold the entire island of Manhattan to the Dutch for just $24 worth of beads and trinkets. What’s not so well known is the history behind the English seizure of the island and its transformation from New Amsterdam to New York.

Author, investigative journalist, historian Russell Shorto took on the challenge of researching the fascinating details behind this. Today we explore some of the highlights around that, and meet some of the key characters integral to the transition. Russell also presents a picture that’s maybe, less about seizure, and more about collaboration between the parties who once pointed cannons at each other.

Meet Russell Shorto

Russell Shorto is the best-selling author of eight books, including SmalltimeRevolution SongAmsterdam, and The Island at the Center of the World. He is the director of the New Amsterdam Project at the New York Historical and senior scholar at the New Netherland Institute.

Continue reading
Environment, Journalism, Non Fiction, Social Issues

Mar 26: David Lipsky and How America’s Anti-Science Movement was Set Up

The Parrot and the Igloo: Climate and the Science of Denial

The Parrot and the Igloo with author David Lipsky

“Lipsky spins top-flight climate literature into cliffhanger entertainment.” ~ The New York Times

David Lipsky is a writer’s writer as well as a reader’s writer. In The Parrot And The Igloo: Climate And The Science Of Denial, Lipsky explores how the virulent “anti-science” movement in America was set up by design.

In other words, it was planned, programmed, and paid for.

Today, we learn when, how, and why planned “denial” movements began, and who won the casting call to become the first Celebrity Doubter and “paid voice” behind the massive Climate Denial Campaign.

We look at scientists who sounded warning bells. And how we went from being a country that supported science, to a population divided into science supporters versus science deniers, hucksters, and propagandists.

Meet Bestselling Author David Lipsky

David Lipsky is the author of the New York Times bestsellers Absolutely American and Although Of Course You End Up Becoming Yourself, the basis for the movie The End of the Tour. He’s written for The New York Times, The New Yorker, Rolling Stone, Harper’s Magazine, and is a recipient of the National Magazine Award and the GLAAD Media Award. His work has appeared in The Best American Short Stories and The Best American Magazine Writing anthologies. Lipsky teaches writing and literature at NYU and lives in New York City. The Parrot And The Igloo is a NYT Editors’ Choice, a New Yorker and Publishers Weekly Best Book of 2023, and a USA Today Must Read.

Continue reading
Health & Wellness, Non Fiction, Science, Self-help, Women's Issues

Mar 19: TV’s Dr Nita Landry Talks Better Sex, Better Health, Better You!

Dr. Nita’s Crash Course for Women Answers Questions You Don’t Want to Ask

Renowned expert on women’s health, Dr. Nita Landry, gets right down to it answering questions around female sexuality, from orgasms to what the orgasm gap is … and why you should focus less on having an orgasm and more on just having fun.

Dr. Landry also shares what we need to know about STDs — and you might be surprised by the rapidly growing age-group impacted by STDs. Plus we look at the latest medical guidance on health screenings for cancer of the breast and cervix. How to select the best doctor for you, and more.

About Dr. Nita Landry

Nita Landry is an MD, OB-GYN. In addition to cohosting The Doctors, she served as a medical expert on other TV programs including Good Morning America, Today, Dr. Phil, CBS national news, and Black Entertainment Television. And served as an ambassador for National Women’s Health Week from 2018 through 2021. Dr. Nita Landry’s book is Crash Course for Women: Better Sex, Better Health, Better you.

Continue reading
Health & Wellness, Psychology, Science, Self-help

Mar 12: The Busy Brain Cure with Dr. Romie Mushtaq

Feel helpless to break the work, sleep, work cycle? Dr Romie’s 8 week plan maximizes focus, tames anxiety, & leads to a healthy sleep pattern.

The Busy Brain Cure with author Dr. Romie Mushtaq

Stressors are often misconstrued as a sign of a hectically important life, worn as a badge of honor, but the reality is that chronic stress kills. Dr. Romie Mushtaq discovered that the hard way when she suffered major career burnout, while simultaneously undergoing life-saving surgery.

The irony was not lost on her that, as a neurologist, she should have known better. But her wake-up call set Dr. Romie on a global journey to research and heal the negative impacts of stress responses on our brains, bodies, and teams. The Busy Brain Cure: The Eight Week Plan to Find Focus, Tame Anxiety, & Sleep Again takes an integrated approach to reduce stress, avoid burnout, and live with zest.

Find out why the constantly new trending diets and cleanses should give way to occasionally embracing certain comfort foods to fight stress. We discuss how to overcome the stimulant-sedative cycle, lower your caffeine independence by day and sleep aids at night. And Dr. Romie shares how to heal the root cause of ADHD, anxiety, and insomnia without addictive medications.

About Dr. Romie Mushtaq

Dr. Romie is a board-certified physician, award-winning wellness speaker, and the founder of brainSHIFT. She combines over 20 years of authority in neurology, integrative medicine, and mindfulness to deliver programs and create cultural change. Dr. Romie currently speaks and consults for Fortune 500 companies, professional athletes, & global associations. She is also the Chief Wellness Officer (CWO) for Great Wolf Lodge. And was formerly the CWO for Evolution Hospitality, where she scaled a mindfulness & wellness program for over 7,000 employees. Her expertise is featured in the national media, such as NPR, NBC, TED talks, and Forbes.

Continue reading

Popular posts

Books, Stories, Poems, Writers, & Life with Best American Short Stories Author, Peter Orner

Still No Word from You: Notes in the Margin Peter Orner is a storyteller. He’s a writer’s writer … a novelist, short story master, and prolific essayist. What he...

Jul 05: Author's Love of Wildlife Inspired Alex Carter Suspense Series

Alex Henderson joins us with A Ghost of Caribou Alice Henderson’s strong, female protagonist is a wildlife biologist with a twist — she can’t seem to keep out of...