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Conversations Live Vicki St. Clair

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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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Essays, Humor, Inspirational, Memoir, Non Fiction, Writers on Writing

Mar 05: Itching to Love with Award-winning Author Shelley Fraser Mickle

The Story of a Dog

Itching to Love with author Shelley Fraser Mickle

“[Shelley’s writing] warms us with the wisdom and perspective that come from a lifetime filled with animals, people, history, science, and literature. An absolutely unique memoir by one of the South’s great storytellers.”

Danny Rubin, Screenwriter (Groundhog Day)

When you’re used to being needed and hearing someone shout “Mom” a hundred times a day, who are you, and what do you do when the kids leave home? Like millions of other moms, award-winning writer Shelley Fraser Mickle faced that same dilemma. Her solution found her.

Today Shelley shares why she wrote to author William Faulkner and how that worked out. We discuss the importance of storytelling and passing down family stories. How humor helps us physiologically; why we should laugh out loud and try to find the humor even during dark days. Shelley shares her love of horses, and the dog who saved her, Buddy. We also discuss the challenges and joys of writing a memoir, ITCHING TO LOVE: The Story of a Dog.

Meet Shelley Fraser Mickle

Shelley Fraser Mickle is a multiple award-winning author and beloved storyteller. Her readings delighted listeners on National Public Radio’s Morning Edition from 2000 to 2006.  Shelley’s second novelREPLACING DAD, won a Friends of American Writers Award and was adapted into a Hallmark Channel movie. Currently, her 2023 narrative history WHITE HOUSE WILD CHILD: HOW ALICE ROOSEVELT BROKE ALL THE RULES AND WON THE HEART OF AMERICA is in development as a film series. ITCHING TO LOVE: The Story of a Dog is Shelley’s memoir.

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Conservation, Memoir, Nature, Non Fiction, Writers on Writing

Feb 26: Bad Naturalist – Paula Whyman

One Woman’s Attempt to Restore 200 Acres of Farmland in the Blue Ridge Mountains

Bad Naturalist with author Paula Whyman

With humor, humility, and awe, writer Paula Whyman faces her limitations, while getting to know a breathtaking corner of the natural world.

When she first climbed a peak in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains looking for a home in the country, she had no idea how little she knew about hands-on conservation, or how quickly her tidy backyard ecology project would grow into a massive endeavor.

From Bad Naturalist: One Woman’s Ecological Education on a Wild Virginia Mountaintop we explore some of Paula’s many challenges, failures, and successes as she learns hour by hour how to work with nature and its seasons, with indigenous versus invasive growth, and nature … the ultimate boss.

Meet Paula Whyman

Paula Whyman’s new book, Bad Naturalist: One Woman’s Ecological Education on a Wild Virginia Mountaintopis a blend of memoir, natural history, and conservation science. Her short story collection You May See a Stranger, earned praise from The New Yorker, a starred review in Publishers Weekly, and won the Towson Prize for Literature. Paula Whyman’s 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. 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.

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Adventure, Exploration, Historical, Non Fiction, Writers on Writing

Feb 19: Outdoor Adventure Author Buddy Levy with Realm of Ice & Sky

Triumph, Tragedy, and History’s Greatest Arctic Rescue

Realm of Ice and Sky with author Buddy Levy

Winner of 2023’s National Outdoor Book Award, Buddy Levy, returns to Conversations Live with Vicki St. Clair, this time to talk about his latest Arctic survival book, Realm of Ice and Sky: Triumph, Tragedy, and History’s Greatest Arctic Rescue.

  • “The gripping account of a fatal polar adventure. Hair-raising suffering and heroism in the Arctic.” ~ Kirkus Reviews

Levy says it’s not the history of one voyage. It’s the history of one TYPE of voyage – trying to reach the north pole airborne, in an airship. If successful, it would signal a changing of the guard – from dog and sled travel, to the new technology of airborne travel.

We explore “the greatest Arctic rescue” a dramatic, nearly forgotten 19th-century mission that tested human resilience, ingenuity, and survival in one of the most unforgiving environments on Earth. We also discuss the journeys of the three key explorers; their challenges, failures, and successes. And Buddy shares how he pieced together these 19th century adventures to make a riveting story.

Meet Buddy Levy

Buddy Levy is the author of nine books including Realm of Ice and Sky, and Empire of Ice and Stone: The True Story of the Canadian Arctic Expedition That Went Horribly Wrong. [Hear that PODCAST.] His work has been featured or reviewed in The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, NPR, USA Today, The Washington Post, and many other outlets. He was the co-star, for 25 episodes, on HISTORY Channel’s hit docuseries Brad Meltzer’s DECODED. In 2018 he was an on-camera expert on the 4-part TV Series THE FRONTIERSMEN: The Men Who Built America (HISTORY, Executive Producer Leonardo Di Caprio).

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