Commonwealth Club of California Podcast

In The Seasoned Life, Ayesha Curry will share 100 of her favorite recipes and invite readers into the home she has made with her two daughters and her husband Stephen Curry. Ayesha knows first-hand what it is like to be a busy mom and wife, and she knows that for her family, time in the kitchen and around the table is where that balance begins. She has something for everybody. The simple, delicious recipes include Cast Iron Biscuits, Smoked Salmon Scramble, Homemade Granola, Mom's Chicken Soup, Stephen's 5 Ingredient Pasta, and plenty of recipes that get the whole family involved—even the little ones!

We’re thrilled to welcome Alan Cumming to the INFORUM stage for the very first time! Alan Cumming has made movies with everyone from Stanley Kubrick to the Spice Girls. He’s mastered Snapchat. He was named an Officer of the British Empire by Queen Elizabeth. You may recognize him as wily Eli Gold from the CBS drama "The Good Wife," or from his Tony-winning turn in Cabaret on Broadway. He’s played roles including the devil, the pope and God—we can’t wait to see what he manages to pull off next. Stage, silver screen, books, behind the camera: Alan Cumming can do it all. When he’s not onstage, in front of the camera or writing away, Alan’s a vocal advocate for causes, including LGBT rights and AIDS charities. He has received both the Vito Russo Award at the Annual GLAAD Media Awards and Human Rights Campaign’s Humanitarian Award in recognition of his many efforts. Alan’s latest book, You Gotta Get Bigger Dreams, shows off many of his personal photographs and shares insider stories from his long, shiny career in show business as well as his fascinating life away from the limelight. So put on your Broadway best and join us at the Castro Theatre for a fun-filled evening with this quirky, talented and charming quadruple threat.

The past five years have been times of rapid change for LGBT communities in the United States. With the repeal of “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” in 2011 and the Obergefell v. Hodges Supreme Court decision in 2015, LGBT people have experienced rapid gains in visibility, acceptance and legal rights. However, this progress has disproportionately advanced the well-being of those who are white sexual minorities, leaving issues of racial and ethnic diversity, social class and gender identity in the margins. Further, the recent shooting in Orlando highlights the ongoing oppression, including violence and fear of violence, that LGBT individuals must still contend with on a daily basis. These developments have led many to argue that we find ourselves at a crossroads in LGBT history that requires new paradigms that will broaden justice to more people. Balsam will discuss psychological perspectives on oppression and resilience, offering a lens through which to envision the path forward in this challenging and ever-changing social context.

The first rule of the Feminist Fight Club is you must talk about the Feminist Fight Club—and we invite you to San Francisco's first public meeting. Jessica's career as an award-winning writer took her from Newsweek to Tumblr and beyond, and she’s spent years traversing the rocky terrain of the modern workplace. She’s been in the trenches, along with the rest of her real-life Feminist Fight Club, navigating the pay gap, sexism, microaggressions, self-sabotage and more. Now, Jessica and Feminist Fight Club—her hard-hitting and hilarious compilation of strategies, insights, hacks, and vocabulary—are ready to arm women with everything they need to survive on the career battlefield. Your ticket grants you lifelong membership to the Feminist Fight Club. Your only duty is to recruit your friends to join you. Jessica is an award-winning writer and speaks regularly on women's issues and journalism. She also edits special projects for Sheryl Sandberg's nonprofit, Lean In.

We have all seen—whether live, in photographs or on postcards—Claude Monet's legendary water lily paintings. They are in museums all over the world and are among the most beloved works of art of the past century. Yet these soothing images were created amid terrible personal turmoil and sadness. As World War I exploded within hearing distance of his house at Giverny, Monet's personal losses piled up and formed the tragic backdrop of his last and largest creations. Using letters, memoirs and other sources, Ross King reveals a more complex, more human, more intimate Claude Monet than has ever been portrayed, and firmly places his water lily project among the greatest achievements in the history of art.

Why is understanding emotional agility so important? With more than 20 years of research, David found that no matter how intelligent, resilient or creative people are, when they ignore how situations make them feel, they miss opportunities to reach their full potential. By understanding emotional agility, she says, individuals learn how to adapt and thrive in stressful situations. Learn how to navigate life’s twists and turns with an open mind for success

Dr. Fox sees an ongoing, rapid shift from formal religion toward a broader-based, gender-neutral path that includes Eastern spirituality, the Wisdom Tradition in the Hebrew Bible, respect for the Earth and native traditions, and awe about nature and creation. Former Dominican priest Matthew Fox, "the most-read theologian in North America," has written more than 30 books on the topic, selling more than 1.5 million copies in dozens of languages. He will discuss the causes of this shift and show how, for example, the four paths of Creation Spirituality can bring joy, life, spiritual depth (and dance!) to the practice of spirituality. He will also discuss other traditions and the works of the Roman Catholic theologians and mystics Thomas Merton, Hildegard of Bingen, and Meister Eckhart. Come to the Club to experience how, in the words of Merton, "our real journey in life is interior; it is a matter of growth, deepening, and of an ever-greater surrender to the creative action of love and grace in our hearts."

A professional travel writer and editor for the past four decades, Don George has explored the furthest corners of the world. In his book, The Way of Wanderlust, George includes many of his adventurous tales from the last 40 years—climbing Mount Kilimanjaro, ascending Yosemite’s Half Dome, a moving homestay experience in Cambodia. The former travel editor for the San Francisco Examiner and the San Francisco Chronicle, George founded the Wanderlust section of Salon.com and was recently the global travel editor for Lonely Planet Publications. Hear George reflect upon his global expeditions and reignite your own wanderlust.

Americans tend to consider illness and dying as fundamentally medical problems. Doctors and nurses focus their attention on alleviating suffering at end of life. But though suffering is undeniably part of illness and dying, with good palliative care many people retain a capacity for subjective well-being through the end of their lives. Dr. Byock will explore the surprising possibility of contentment and joy in dying and the implications for our understanding of full and healthy living. A renowned author, Dr. Byock has appeared on NPR's "All Things Considered," CBS "60 Minutes," "Fox and Friends," and PBS "The News Hour."

Mark Jacboson leads a team that says California and other states can get to 100-percent renewable power by 2050. Celebrity activists Mark Ruffalo and Leonardo DiCaprio are backing him. But critics say the theoretical plan doesn’t consider the hard realities of the power grid and that renewables are sometimes oversold. California recently passed a law requiring half of the state’s power be renewable by 2030. Should the state be more ambitious to battle climate disruption? What does PG&E think about going all-in on renewable power?