House Calls with Dr. Vivek Murthy

Have you ever wanted to gather people, but then something stops you? What if I burn the apps? What if the house is a mess? Will people bring something, or chip in?  Or, the biggest fear of all – what if nobody shows up? 

Sarah Harmeyer, the founder of Neighbor’s Table, calls herself a “people gatherer,” and is an expert at bringing people together. Sarah offers some practical advice and much comfort. In her view people just want to be invited. As she says, we should be about blessing, not impressing.

Also – In the spirit of building more connection, we have released “Recipes for Connection.” Gathering stories and ideas from all over the country, this booklet offers all sorts of ideas for connecting over food. So whether you’re deepening relationships with old friends or creating new connections, we hope “Recipes for Connection” will be an inspiration to get together.  

Download the booklet at SurgeonGeneral.gov/recipes.

(01:51)  Sarah Harmeyer and why she started Neighbor’s Table

(11:29)  What are the essential ingredients for gathering people?

(13:45)  What are some things Sarah does to create a great vibe?

(21:43)  How gathering simply comes down to caring and kindness

(25:57)  Gathering is joy and service

(29:27)  Who is the new Surgeon General of SoHip, Dallas?

For Ada Limón, the 24th U.S. Poet Laureate, poetry is her way of connecting — to others, to ourselves, to our natural world.  Ada’s work is deeply personal, inspired by gratitude for loved ones, awe and nature, and her struggles with scoliosis and infertility. In this conversation with the Surgeon General, she reflects on her process for writing, which she says often starts with the simple act of seeing what’s around her. When Ada shares her poems, she finds joy in other people seeing their own feelings and life experiences in her writing.In the course of this conversation she beautifully recites two of her poems. “The Raincoat” was written for her mother. The other, “In Praise of Mystery,” is shooting through outer space right now on a NASA aircraft bound for Jupiter’s moon Europa.

(07:36)  Can poetry help keep us grounded?
(10:33) How does poetry help when language fails us?
(12:35)  Ada shares her poem "The Raincoat”
(17:50)  What are some unexpected ways poetry opens people up?
(22:40)  What if we don't "get" poetry?
(26:42)  What is it like to live the life of a poet?
(31:38)  How Ada gets herself in the mindset to write
(38:08)  On staying present
(44:02)  How life challenges shaped her creativity
(52:14)  How does Ada define success at this point in her life?
(59:36)  A reading of her poem "In Praise of Mystery."
(01:03:08)  What gives Ada Limón hope?

We’d love to hear from you! Send us a note at [email protected] with your feedback & ideas. For more episodes, visit www.surgeongeneral.gov/housecalls. 

Ada Limón, 24th U.S. Poet Laureate

Instagram: @adalimonwriter

Facebook: @poetadalimon

About Ada Limón

Ada Limón is the author of six books of poetry, including “The Carrying,” which won the National Book Critics Circle Award. Her book “Bright Dead Things” was nominated for the National Book Award, the National Book Critics Circle Award, and the Kingsley Tufts Poetry Award. Her most recent book of poetry, “The Hurting Kind,” was shortlisted for the Griffin Poetry Prize. She is also the author of two children’s books: “In Praise of Mystery,” with illustrations by Peter Sís; and “And, Too, The Fox,” which will be released in 2025. In October of 2023 she was awarded a MacArthur "Genius" Fellowship, and she was named a TIME magazine woman of the year in 2024. She is the recipient of a Guggenheim fellowship and wrote a poem that will be engraved on NASA's Europa Clipper Spacecraft that will be launched to the second moon of Jupiter in October 2024. As the 24th Poet Laureate of The United States, her signature project is called “You Are Here” and focuses on how poetry can help connect us to the natural world. She will serve as Poet Laureate until the spring of 2025.

How does parents’ mental health influence their kids’ mental health?

Why are parents today feeling so overwhelmed?

How can parents let go of trying to be the perfect parent?

As the father of two young kids, parenting is a common theme the Surgeon General explores with guests. Given the resonance of the Surgeon General’s recent advisory on parent mental health & well-being, this episode digs into the House Calls archives. We revisit moments with guests including Dr. Lisa Damour and Dr. Aliza Pressman, as they share their expertise—walking through great practical advice about navigating disagreements with children, warning about the impacts of technology, and examining how parents and children share their nervous systems—while also sharing moving personal parenting moments.

(02:47)    How are parents feeling these days?

(03:35)    Why are parents so often feeling overwhelmed?

(07:00)    How does parents’ mental health influence their kids’ mental health?

(09:28)    How should parents think about their role in their kids’ mental health?

(12:43)    How can men support each other to be more connected fathers?

(18:42)    Why should we embrace being an imperfect parent?

(20:58)    Why is it helpful to think through goals for parenting?

(22:24)    A brief exercise to help us stay focused on what’s most important to us when we’re parenting our children.

We’d love to hear from you! Send us a note at [email protected] with your feedback & ideas. For more episodes, visit www.surgeongeneral.gov/housecalls.   

We’d love to hear from you! Send us a note at [email protected] with your feedback & ideas. For more episodes, visit www.surgeongeneral.gov/housecalls.   

What can life in space teach us about living well on earth?

As an astronaut, Kayla Barron she has lived this very question. As a member of the NASA’s mission to the International Space Station, she and her crew spent 177 days in orbit. In that time, she performed two space walks. Before becoming an astronaut, she earned a degree in nuclear engineering and served as one of the first female Submarine Warfare Officers in the US Navy. Turns out life on a submarine has a lot in common with life in space.

In this conversation, Kayla shares what it was like to look back on earth from space and the emotions it sparked. She remembers how she kept alive her connection with her family on earth, while she also formed essential, and meaningful relationships with her fellow astronauts on the space station. She opens up about the struggle that came after completing her mission, and the difficulty of finding her footing literally and emotionally. For Kayla, lving in space was a contemplation on what really matters in life.

This conversation was recorded in front of a live audience. Thank you to our friends at NASA for making this conversation possible.

(03:33) Did Kayla Barron always dream of becoming an astronaut?

(08:51) Becoming an astronaut — by applying online

(13:13) What was going through Kayla Barron’s mind during launch?

(16:19) What are those first few hours being in space really like?

(19:29) What perspective about life on earth did being in space give Kayla Barron?

(21:33) If Kayla Barron had to pick just one profound realization from space, what is it?

(23:09) Teamwork in space

(28:20) Readjustment to life on earth

(32:39) Grieving the end of a mission in which she felt the least lonely she had ever felt in her life

(37:33) Did Kaya Barron’s experience in space change how she engaged with people on earth?

(41:12) How her experience in space influences how she parents her child

(45:34) How does Kayla Barron keep herself grounded?

(48:00) Audience Q&A: What are some practical steps Kayla Barron took to address her emotions about returning to life on earth?

(51:02) Audience Q&A: What surprised you most about being in space?

(54:09) Audience Q&A: How did you keep yourself emotionally open to receiving daily feedback from your team?

(58:24) Audience Q&A: Did you ever feel afraid in space?

Send us a note at [email protected] with your feedback & ideas. www.surgeongeneral.gov/housecalls

Kayla Barron, Astronaut

Instagram: @astro_kayla

Facebook: @astrokayla

About Kayla Barron

Kayla Barron was selected by NASA to join the 2017 Astronaut Candidate Class. She reported for duty in August 2017. The Washington native graduated from the U.S. Naval Academy with a bachelor’s degree in Systems Engineering. A Gates Cambridge Scholar, Barron earned a master’s degree in Nuclear Engineering from the University of Cambridge. As a Submarine Warfare Officer, Barron was a member of the first class of women commissioned into the submarine community. She served as member of the NASA SpaceX Crew-3 mission to the International Space Station, which launched on November 10, 2021. NASA’s SpaceX Crew-3 astronauts safely splashed down on Friday, May 6, 2022 completing the agency’s third long-duration commercial crew mission to the International Space Station. The international crew of four spent 177 days in orbit.

If we find ourselves off track in life, how can we ground ourselves and find our flow again?

When Josh Groban first stepped on stage as a shy 7th grader assigned a solo by his music teacher, his own mother didn’t know he could sing. Fast-forward three decades, and Josh has sold 35 million records worldwide. Josh’s rise to fame as a singer, songwriter and actor happened relatively quickly, he says, and along the way, he sometimes lost sight of what he cared about, pursued the wrong things, and experienced loneliness and depression. Through those difficult times, Josh sought therapy and built deeper connections with loved ones and learned to turn to them for support.

In this episode, Dr. Murthy and Josh Groban explore the challenges of navigating life when it becomes overwhelming, the power of the arts to heal, the importance the arts for young people, and how music has the power to transport us.

(07:09) Did Josh ever imagine his music could bring healing for people?

(09:30) Why are teachers so important for young artists?

(08:18) How Josh dealt with self-doubt

(23:01) What helped ground Josh as his fame grew?

(27:03) How does Josh know when he’s chasing the right things?

(33:34) How does Josh find the balance between hustle and flow?

(40:32) The isolation of fame

(49:43) The courage to work with a therapist

(55:30) The power behind Josh’s song “River”

(01:04) What do the arts do for our mental health & well-being?

(01:07:36) How is Josh Groban supporting the arts for young people?

(01:10:12) Why does Dr. Murthy feel so connected to Josh Groban?

(01:13:36) Why should we pursue experiencing the arts in our lives?

(01:17:02) Where has Dr. Murthy turned for inspiration or solace in music?

(01:18:47) Can we create more access to the arts for young people and turn STEM to STEAM?

Send us a note at [email protected] with your feedback & ideas. www.surgeongeneral.gov/housecalls 

Josh Groban, Singer and Actor

Instagram: @joshgroban

Facebook: @joshgroban

About Josh Groban

Josh Groban possesses one of the most outstanding and instantly recognizable voices in music. A powerhouse vocalist and dynamic renaissance man, he has sold over 35 million albums worldwide. ATony, EMMY, and five-time GRAMMY Award-nominated singer, songwriter, actor, and philanthropist, his catalog spans a series of chart-topping blockbuster albums, including “Josh Groban” (5x-platinum), “Closer” (6x-platinum), “Noël” (6x-platinum), “Awake” (2x-platinum), “Illuminations”, “All That Echoes” (gold), “Stages” (gold), his first UK #1 album, “Bridges”, and his most recent release, “Harmony”. Along the way, he has packed arenas throughout North America, Europe, Australia, South Africa, New Zealand, and Asia.

Groban made his Broadway debut in 2016 with a starring role in “Natasha, Pierre & The Great Comet of 1812,” for which he garnered a Tony Award nomination for Best Lead Actor In A Musical. In the spring of 2023, Josh took to Broadway once again, performing in the highly anticipated revival of “Sweeney Todd”, playing the title role which earned him Tony and GRAMMY Nominations along with widespread acclaim.

Groban is also a known presence on television, with appearances on “Glee”, “The Simpsons”, “The Office”, “CSI: NY, It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia”, and “The Crazy Ones” as well as in the feature films “Coffee Town”, “Muppets Most Wanted”, and “Crazy, Stupid, Love”. In addition, he starred in the NETFLIX series “The Good Cop” in 2018.

In 2022, he returned to the hallowed stage of Radio City Music Hall for his Great Big Radio City Show residency and launched a nation-wide live tour. Also that year, Groban also starred in ABC’s special “Beauty and the Beast: A 30th Celebration” as none other than the Beast.

Groban remains an active arts education philanthropist and advocate, and his Find Your Light Foundation helps enrich the lives of young people through arts, education, and cultural awareness.

What does Dr. Ruth have to say about facing loneliness?

Dr. Ruth Westheimer was a legend who broke taboos around talking about sex and relationships. At her core, she cared deeply about human connection. In 2023, she was named the nation’s first honorary Ambassador to Loneliness for the state of New York.

In honor of Dr. Ruth, who passed in July 2024, the Surgeon General offers a remembrance and shares a few nuggets of wisdom she recorded while working on her last book, “The Joy of Connections.”

We’d love to hear from you! Send us a note at [email protected] with your feedback & ideas. For more episodes, visit www.surgeongeneral.gov/housecalls.   

Dr. Ruth, Sex Therapist & Author

Dr. Ruth K. Westheimer broke stigmas for more than forty years, beginning in the 1980s with her nationally syndicated radio show “Sexually Speaking”. She authored or co-authored forty-six books on many topics and was named New York’s Ambassador to Loneliness, the first such position in the United States. A beloved therapist known to millions as “Dr. Ruth,” she passed away in July 2024.

Parental well-being is linked to the well-being of kids – it affects kids’ health, their learning, and, ultimately, their futures.

But right now, parents and caregivers are incredibly stressed. That stress is harder to manage when you feel you’re on your own, which is why it’s concerning that parents, particularly single parents, report high levels of loneliness.

In this week’s episode of House Calls, Dr. Murthy talks about why we need a fundamental shift in how we value and prioritize parents’ well-being. He also reads a preview of his latest advisory, Parents Under Pressure: The U.S. Surgeon General’s Advisory on the Mental Health & Well-Being of Parents.

Learn more at https://surgeongeneral.gov/parents.

(00:02)    Why is parent mental health so important?
(00:54)    What is The U.S. Surgeon General’s Advisory on Parent Mental Health and Well-Being?
(01:12)    Why is parenting one of the hardest jobs?
(02:22)    Why is parenting so essential to our society as a whole?
(02:55)    What are some modern-day parenting challenges?
(04:39)    What has the U.S. Surgeon General learned in his conversations with parents across America?
(05:18)    How can parents’ mental health and well-being be better-supported?

We’d love to hear from you! Send us a note at [email protected] with your feedback & ideas. For more episodes, visit www.surgeongeneral.gov/housecalls.   

What does it mean to succeed when you’ve reached the Olympic podium? How do you separate that success from your sense of self-worth?

The world knows Chloe Kim as one of the greatest athletes ever. At 17, Chloe was the youngest person to win an Olympic gold medal in snowboarding. She was the first to win two gold medals in the Halfpipe. She was the first female snowboarder to have landed back-to-back 1080s. She is the first athlete ever to win all four major snowboarding titles in the Olympics, Worlds, Youth Olympics and X Games.

Under the pressure and expectations of the world, how does Chloe stay true to herself? Now 24, Chloe holds so much wisdom. Grappling with her incredible success, she has sought to understand what truly matters - insights that have come from her moments of pain and struggle. In this conversation, Chloe opens up about how she found her way through her depression and anxiety. And how she finds inner peace. As the children of immigrant parents, Chloe and the Surgeon General talk about family and what the American Dream means to them.

Ultimately, this episode is a meditation on where we find meaning in life.

(00:03:15) Dr. Murthy and Chloe sort out Team Dog vs Team Cat tension.

(00:05:38) Where did Chloe’s love of snowboarding come from?

(00:08:55) What inspired Chloe’s parents to come to America?

(00:12:45) What were the early days of snowboarding like for Chloe?

(00:14:25) How Chloe learned to be fearless on the slopes & off the slopes

(00:17:27) How do people’s expectations of success affect Chloe?

(00:20:50) How did Chloe get through her mental health struggles?

(00:25:05) How did Chloe turn to therapy?

(00:27:45) What brings Chloe (and Dr. Murthy) inner peace?

(00:32:58) How do you live a life that’s grounded in love?

(00:38:20) What gives Chloe a sense of purpose when things get hard?

(00:39:41) Chloe’s evolving definition of success.

(00:44:12) Chloe on her relationship to self-worth and loving herself.

(00:47:04) What is Chloe’s relationship to social media?

(00:52:17) What does Chloe want her parents to know about what they mean to her?

Special thanks to the President's Council on Sports, Fitness & Nutrition for collaboration on this episode.

We’d love to hear from you! Send us a note at [email protected] with your feedback & ideas. For more episodes, visit www.surgeongeneral.gov/housecalls.   

Chloe Kim, Snowboarder

Instagram: @chloekim

About Chloe Kim
The 2022 Winter Olympics cemented Chloe Kim as the female face of both snowboarding and action sports when she became the first female in history to win back-to-back Olympic gold medals in halfpipe snowboarding. After being accepted to Princeton University, Kim took the 2019–20 season off from competing to focus on her education. Returning in January 2021, after a 20-month hiatus from snowboarding competition, Kim continued her dominance of the sport, winning all 4 women’s superpipe events in the 2020–21 season including her seventh X Games gold medal and her second World Championship.

Kim has had just as much success off the mountain as she’s had on it. She’s been featured on Forbes 30 Under 30 list, Time Magazine’s 100 Most Influential People list, and Time’s 30 Most Influential Teens list (3 years in a row), as well as the cover of Time Magazine, Shape Magazine, Sports Illustrated, Sports Illustrated Kids, and ESPN Magazine. She also had an appearance in a Maroon 5 video and the Charlie’s Angels reboot. Additionally, Kim has taken home 5 ESPY Awards, the 2022 Daring to Disrupt Award at Glamour Women of the Year Awards, 3 Nickelodeon Kids Choice Sports Awards, and 2 Laureus World Sports Awards. Kim was appointed as a member of the President’s Council on Sports, Fitness & Nutrition on March 24, 2023, for a 2-year term. Kim, whose parents emigrated from Korea, now lives in Los Angeles and has been recognized for her positive impact in the Asian American community.

What does coming close to death teach us about living?

Sebastian Junger is not a stranger to danger and death. As an award-winning journalist and author of “The Perfect Storm,” and “Tribe,” he has spent his career covering humans in harrowing situations, from massive storms at sea to the front lines of wars. In his recent memoir, “In My Time of Dying,” Sebastian considers his near-death experience from a ruptured aneurysm and his unexpected encounter with his deceased father. How did almost dying change his view on the purpose of living?

His words are at once stark and soulful, and they are filled with truths that can help us lead a more meaningful and fulfilling life. 

(03:17) Sebastian Junger’s near-death experience

(14:56) How Sebastian came to look at nearly dying as a sacred experience

(21:09) How does Sebastian make sense of the vision he had of his father?

(33:57) Did nearly dying affect how Sebastian is raising his children?

(39:26) Where does Sebastian Junger see love fitting into our lives?

(48:19) How do we build that sense of unity that comes with feeling part of a tribe?

(56:09) How can we set aside differences and find the humanity in one another?

(01:01:08) How does Sebastian Junger think about purpose?

(01:02:23) Why is Sebastian Junger so proud of being able to comfort his daughter?

We’d love to hear from you! Send us a note at [email protected] with your feedback & ideas. For more episodes, visit www.surgeongeneral.gov/housecalls.   

Sebastian Junger, Journalist & Filmmaker

Instagram: @sebastianjungerofficial

X: @sebastianjunger

Facebook: @sebastianjunger

About Sebastian Junger

Sebastian Junger is the New York Times bestselling author of Tribe, War, Freedom, A Death in Belmont, Fire, and The Perfect Storm, and codirector of the documentary film Restrepo, which was nominated for an Academy Award. He is also the winner of a Peabody Award and the National Magazine Award for Reporting.

In celebration of World Friendship Day, the Surgeon General invites an old friend and House Calls producer to talk about how their deep connection has seen them through the best of times and the worst of times, sustaining them both personally and professionally.

(00:28) House Calls gets personal as Dr. Murthy introduces an old friend (who is also a House Calls producer)

(01:56) How Dr. Murthy and his friend Ann Kim met

(03:27) How many marriages have resulted from Dr. Murthy’s personal pastime of matchmaking?

(03:54) How has Dr. Murthy and Ann Kim’s friendship cultivated a focus on social connection?

(04:44) How can we find the light in other people?

(05:28) Why is talking with a friend in challenging times so helpful?

(08:38) How can a friend help us explore our interests and find our focus?

(11:29) How can we help children foster deep friendship with their siblings?

(13:27) Dr. Murthy shares his favorite poem about friendship.

(16:11) How can we inspire more friendship?

We’d love to hear from you! Send us a note at [email protected] with your feedback & ideas. For more episodes, visit www.surgeongeneral.gov/housecalls.   

Ann Kim, House Calls Producer and Friend

Instagram: @annkimannkim

About Ann Kim 

Ann Kim is Chief Innovation & Design Officer at the Office of the U.S. Surgeon General. In this role, Ann and her team aim to bring creativity and design thinking to government, modernizing and humanizing ways to advance public health. She oversees the surgeon general’s website, first-ever podcast (“House Calls with Dr. Vivek Murthy”), and creative development of new products and initiatives. She served as Chief Design Officer during Dr. Vivek Murthy’s previous tenure from 2016-2017, developing campaigns to address substance use, opioids prescribing, and emotional well-being.

Prior to public service, Ann served as as executive director of health and well-being at global design firm IDEO. During her decade at IDEO, her portfolio included the design of HIV-prevention products, digital mental health tools, and new models of healthcare delivery.

In the first decade of her career, Ann was a producer and filmmaker for public television. Her credits include the award-winning PBS/Frontline series “The Age of AIDS” and “Unnatural Causes: Is Inequality Making Us Sick?” the landmark documentary series on the social determinants of health. She has reported for the public radio from Botswana, India, and North Korea. Her latest documentary, “Lovesick,” is about a physician in India who is also a matchmaker for her HIV-positive single patients.

Ann is a graduate of Harvard College, with a joint degree in Anthropology & the Study of Religion. She is a board member of Noora Health. And, unlike her dear friend the Surgeon General who identifies as a cat person, she considers herself a dog person.