Crazy Good Turns

Walter Kirn is the bestselling author of "Up in the Air," which became a smash hit movie starring George Clooney. Now Kirn is taking a risk on a longshot business that views America as one giant small town. And that's just the beginning. In addition to his writing, Kirn is a non-partisan political commentator who appears regularly on TV and in podcasts, including one of my personal favorite shows, "America This Week," which features Walter alongside investigative journalist Matt Taibbi. In a society where algorithms decide what we do and don't see, and which feed us more and more of the same material, Walter is helping people discover new topics and viewpoints. I'm excited that you'll discover a little more about him through this interview. You can also connect with Walter on X: https://twitter.com/walterkirn Photo by Max Savage Levenson/Montana Free Press

Dan and his brother Chip are the authors of several best-selling business books, including one that was highly influential for Frank Blake during his time as CEO of The Home Depot. Dan joins Frank to talk about the legacy of his first big book, "Made to Stick," and his new passion project, a podcast interviewing real people working real jobs that they love.

We'll discuss:

• The surprising story of how 'Made to Stick' came to be
• What Dan and Chip do to avoid sibling rivalry and work so well together as co-authors
• Dan's approach to identifying whether an idea is good or bad
• What strikes fear into his heart as a writer
• Dan's new labor of love, the What It's Like to Be podcast

You can check out Dan's new podcast at https://www.whatitsliketobe.com/

Trubek is an author, publisher and entrepreneur who's been the driving force being an independent book publisher since 2012. She blogs about her experiences on Substack at notesfromasmallpress.substack.com.

We'll discuss:

• Why publishing is "slow motion gambling," and how she manages to stay afloat
• How she finds new authors — including one who published her first book at age 70
• A tragedy that turned into a Crazy Good Turn

We asked listeners to tell us about groups and individuals making a difference in their communities. The response was incredible. We heard so many amazing stories about everyday heroes doing powerful work. It was no easy task, but we eventually narrowed the list for our award down to three organizations: Hearts & Hooves of Chattanooga, Tenn., Just Keep Smiling of Gardendale, Ala., and Joshua's Place of South Lebanon, Ohio. In this show you'll hear heartwarming stories from all three groups. And you'll find out who received an award.

How to let go of ego and emotion and make the right choice, in seemingly small moments that matter far more than you think.

Holly is the founder of Indigo Volunteers, an organization that pairs people who wish to help with humanitarian projects needing assistance.

Since the refugee crisis of 2015 and 2016, Indigo has placed thousands of volunteers in camps across Greece, Serbia, Bosnia, Poland, and more.

Holly says she didn't know anything about how to launch or run a nonprofit at first. She just saw a need, and then she found a way to help. She's dedicated more than the past 10 years of her life to it. And she's had some incredible adventures along the way. She'll share them in this episode.

We discuss:

• Her firsthand experience learning how difficult - and expensive – volunteering can be.
• How helping refugees has changed since COVID and the war in Ukraine.
• What people don't understand about refugees.
• What it's really like inside of a refugee camp.
• Why so many charities today are struggling to find volunteers.
• How she's seen the best in people through her work – and the lasting impression that's left on her.

Follow Holly and Indigo Volunteers on Instagram at @indigovolunteers

Kimi was a successful television producer working with the biggest networks, like CNN, NBC and Oprah. But a mountaintop revelation led her to leave it all behind. Today she's the voice behind what might be the world's first "one for one" charitable podcast. Her show features people who've survived terrible ordeals. In this interview, she shares the inspiring lessons she's learned from them. Follow Kimi's show on Instagram @allthewiserpodcast We discuss:

• What makes a great story — and how to tell it well

• The overarching lessons Kimi has learned from her guests on the show

• Her work on the excellent documentary Gleason, which captures the experience of an NFL player battling against Lou Gehrig's disease — and which is I think just an outstanding tribute to human courage and faith

• The toughest story Kimi has ever told on her podcast

• And lastly, toward the end of our interview, you'll hear a special surprise we have for Kimi

In a conversation made possible by listeners like you, Amy shares the story of how medical experts wrote off her son Jacob – but she refused to accept it. Instead, she gave up everything to help him. And along the way, she developed a method that's not only helped Jacob thrive, it today helps hundreds of other kids develop at their school, Jacob's Ladder.

Follow them on Instagram @jacobsladder407.

We discuss:

• What happened on the day Amy walked off her job to care for Jacob full-time
• How her work with Jacob started in the kitchen
• The first child Amy assisted other than her own son (and how it grew to more than 4,000 kids to date)
• The first thing children with neurodevelopmental disorders need
• Jacob's life today
• A story showing why hard things are worth persevering through
• What keeps Amy from becoming exhausted

In this unpredictable and fun conversation, Goff – who's a best-selling author and philanthropist – answers questions from you, our listeners. Along the way he explains how "air distracts him" and what he's learned to do fix that. Follow him on Twitter or Instagram @bobgoff.

We discuss:

• Bob's journey from high-powered lawyer to popular speaker and writer.
• Curious tactics for staying focused, including a countdown clock for your life.
• What Bob learned from being 10,000 miles away from any other person.
• The magic of "small beginnings," and how you can do better at turning intention into action.

Scott, a management expert who's led teams at Google and coached high-profile CEOs, shares a groundbreaking framework for delivering better feedback to others. Follow her on Twitter @kimballscott

We'll discuss:

How people in different generations can offer more candid and effective feedback to each other.

The new realities of leading a team in the digital age, where every video call can become permanent record.

Why Kim is optimistic about the future, and thinks the class of 2020 might solve some of our most pressing problems.