House Calls with Dr. Vivek Murthy

In 1979, Jon Kabat-Zinn took inspiration from a Surgeon General’s report called “Healthy People” to support his pioneering work in the field of mindfulness. Over the next four decades, America experienced a revolution, as millions embraced Kabat-Zinn’s practices for reducing stress. Coming full circle, Kabat-Zinn and the Nation’s Doctor explore the gift of awareness for healing, strengthening, and tackling some of the big issues we face as humans.

Jon Kabat-Zinn, Author, Professor, Mindfulness Pioneer

Twitter: @jonkabatzinn

About Jon Kabat-Zinn

Jon Kabat-Zinn, Ph.D. did his doctoral work in molecular biology at MIT, in the laboratory of the Nobel Laureate Salvador Luria.  Jon is Professor of Medicine emeritus at the University of Massachusetts Medical School, where he founded its world-renown Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) Clinic in 1979, and the Center for Mindfulness in Medicine, Health Care, and Society, in 1995.  He is the author of 15 books, currently in print in over 45 languages.His most recent is Mindfulness Meditation for Pain Relief (April 2023).  He is also the author of a series of research papers on MBSR dating back to 1982. In a 2021 study of trends and developments in mindfulness research over 55 years (1966-2021), three of his empirical studies figure among the ten most cited articles on mindfulness (nos. 3, 5, and 9) in the scientific literature; and a review article he authored is number two among citations of the top ten review articles on mindfulness. His work and that of a global community of colleagues has contributed to a growing movement of mindfulness into mainstream institutions such as medicine, psychology, health care, neuroscience, schools, higher education, business, social justice, criminal justice, prisons, the law, technology, the military, government, and professional sports. Over 700 hospitals and medical centers around the world now offer MBSR. Jon lectures and leads mindfulness retreats around the world and on line. In early 2020, as the Covid-19 pandemic was growing exponentially, he offered a three month “mitigation retreat” online, consisting of 66 consecutive weekdays of live 90-minute sessions that included guided meditations, talks, and dialogue, with several thousand people joining live each day. Those sessions can be accessed at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RqkYJfT8gsw.

For more information, see www.jonkabat-zinn.com.

How do you get people to the other side of trauma? In the 1980s, Father Greg Boyle served as a pastor in LA’s poorest parish — which also had the city’s highest concentration of gang activity. Thirty-four years later, he is known as the founder of Homeboy Industries, the largest gang rehab and re-entry program in the world. The sense of belonging created there is so strong that former gang rivals can work side-by-side in Homeboy’s bakeries, cafes, and shops. In this touching conversation with the Surgeon General, Fr. Boyle offers wisdom for us all on how we can emotionally navigate past anger and bridge divides. And why he believes “kindness is the only non-delusional response to everything.”

Father Greg Boyle, Jesuit Priest & Founder of Homeboy Industries

Instagram: @homeboyindustries

Twitter: @homeboyind

Facebook: @homeboyindustries

About Father Greg Boyle

Father Gregory Boyle is the founder of Homeboy Industries in Los Angeles, the largest gang-intervention, rehabilitation, and re-entry program in the world.

Born and raised in Los Angeles and Jesuit priest, from 1986 to 1992 Fr. Boyle served as pastor of Dolores Mission Church in Boyle Heights. Dolores Mission was the poorest Catholic parish in Los Angeles that also had the highest concentration of gang activity in the city.

Fr. Boyle witnessed the devastating impact of gang violence on his community during the so-called “decade of death” that began in the late 1980s and peaked at 1,000 gang-related killings in 1992.  In the face of law enforcement tactics and criminal justice policies of suppression and mass incarceration as the means to end gang violence, he and parish and community members adopted what was a radical approach at the time: treat gang members as human beings.

In 1988 they started what would eventually become Homeboy Industries, which employs and trains former gang members in a range of social enterprises, as well as provides critical services to thousands of individuals who walk through its doors every year seeking a better life.

Fr. Boyle is the author of the 2010 New York Times-bestseller “Tattoos on the Heart: The Power of Boundless Compassion.” His second book, “Barking to the Choir: The Power of Radical Kinship,” was published in 2017.  And his new and third book is “The Whole Language: The Power of Extravagant Tenderness,” which debuted in Fall of 2021.

He has received the California Peace Prize and been inducted into the California Hall of Fame.  In 2014, President Obama named Fr. Boyle a Champion of Change. He received the University of Notre Dame’s 2017 Laetare Medal, the oldest honor given to American Catholics. Homeboy Industries was the recipient of the 2020 Hilton Humanitarian Prize validating 32 years of Fr. Greg Boyle’s vision and work by the organization for over three decades.

Growing up in a small, crowded apartment in Los Angeles, Christian Robinson drew castles, imaginary scenes, and gave himself special powers to create the world he wished to inhabit. Inspired by a grandmother who knew how to make something out of nothing, Robinson nurtured his art into a very real superpower – the ability to help children understand the world and feel they matter. This conversation between the nation’s doctor and a celebrated author and illustrator is about creativity, honesty, why we all matter, and the kind of feedback you receive when your primary audience is young children.

Christian Robinson, Illustrator and Author

Instagram: @theartoffun

Twitter: @theartoffunnews

Facebook: @TheArtOfFunNews

About Christian Robinson

Christian Robinson is an illustrator, author, animator, and designer based in Oakland, California. He was born in Los Angeles and grew up in a small one-bedroom apartment with his brother, two cousins, aunt, and grandmother. Drawing became a way to make space for himself and to create the kind of world he wanted to see. He studied animation at the California Institute of the Arts and would later work with the Sesame Workshop and Pixar Animation Studios before becoming an illustrator of books for children. The Christian Robinson for Target collection, released in August 2021, includes more than 70 items across home and apparel for kids and baby. His books include the #1 New York Times bestseller Last Stop on Market Street, written by Matt de la Peña, which was awarded a Caldecott Honor, a Coretta Scott King Illustrator Honor, and the Newbery Medal, and the #1 New York Times bestseller The Bench, written by Meghan, The Duchess of Sussex. His solo projects include Another, which was named a New York Times Best Illustrated Book of 2019, and the New York Times bestseller You Matter. His latest collaboration with Matt de la Peña, Milo Imagines The World, received six starred reviews and was a #1 Indie Bestseller and a New York Times bestseller. He looks forward to one day seeing the aurora borealis.

Kate Bowler’s stage IV cancer diagnosis ushered her into a world of fear and pain. Living in 60-day increments, her future held no promises. Angry about losing the life she had created, the love of family, friends, and her faith community helped Kate forge a new type of strength— learning to lean on others. This conversation between the nation’s doctor and Kate Bowler illuminates how we find truth and beauty within the uncertainties of life.

Kate Bowler, Writer & Professor

About Kate Bowler

At age 35, she was unexpectedly diagnosed with Stage IV cancer, causing her to think in different terms about the research and beliefs she had been studying. She penned the New York Times bestselling memoir, Everything Happens for a Reason (and Other Lies I’ve Loved), which tells the story of her struggle to understand the personal and intellectual dimensions of the American belief that all tragedies are tests of character.

Why is food a foundation for human connection? Chef José Andrés has spent a lifetime cooking for friends & family at home, in his many restaurants, and for people stricken by disaster around the world. For José, sharing and providing food spreads the empathy he believes people naturally possess for one another. This conversation between the nation's doctor and the global chef will make you want to break bread with those near and far, and it will leave you laughing over the unforgettable story of José's most stunning kitchen catastrophe.

José Andrés, Chef & Humanitarian

About José Andrés

José holds close both his identity as a Spanish immigrant and an American citizen, placing upon himself the responsibility of both culinary ambassador and immigrant representing the two nations. He is a visionary and a humanitarian, establishing World Central Kitchen in 2010 as a means for feeding the many – using culinary training programs to empower communities and strengthen economies as well as food disaster relief in the wake of emergencies around the globe.

He has been widely recognized for both his culinary and his humanitarian work, including by the James Beard Foundation – which named him Best Chef: Mid-Atlantic in 2003, as well as Humanitarian of the Year in 2018; TIME Magazine, which included him on the list of 100 Most Influential People in 2012 and 2018; and President Obama, who awarded José the National Humanities Medal in 2015. José holds two Michelin stars for his avant-garde tasting counter minibar by José Andrés in Washington, D.C., as well as four Bib Gourmands.

House Calls with Dr. Vivek Murthy is a podcast hosted by the 21st U.S. Surgeon General. In each episode, Dr. Murthy and his guests explore the uncertainties of life and how to find meaning and joy along the way. By sharing openly what’s on our minds and in our hearts, this series brings healing through conversation.