What happens when you come to Rome to begin again?

At a table in Nino's home, people from different countries and corners of Italy share what the Eternal City has given them and what it's cost them. A conversation about language, identity, the search for happiness at sixty, and why Rome might be the one city where you can eat with your hands, and nobody judges you. Italian and English throughout.

The transcript will be at humansinconversation.com.

What does it cost to keep up in a city that never stops?

Shared over an aperitivo table in Milan, this episode invites listeners to sit quietly and reflect on a simple question: In a city of non-stop performance, how do you show up for yourself?

Hosted in collaboration with Carlo Bobbiesi at Hugs Bar, this Humans in Conversation table explores the pressure to perform, the blur between identity and image, and the loneliness that can exist even in a city full of people.

Participants speak openly about self-image, belonging, and the effort it takes to stay connected to oneself in a city shaped by beauty and ambition.

A short transcript is available on our website.

In this Humans in Conversation table from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, participants reflect on what it means to live in a body navigating the American healthcare system.

The conversation moves beyond medicine to explore the emotional and financial realities of health insurance in the United States. Participants share personal stories about bureaucracy, employment-based coverage, medical costs, and the quiet calculations many people make when deciding whether they can afford care.

What emerges is not only frustration with a complex system, but also a deeper reflection on how institutions shape our sense of safety, dignity, and well-being.

This table is hosted by Dr. Jennifer Schaupp. Thank you to every participant.

Humans in Conversation is a global storytelling experience about health, the body, and how we care for one another in the systems we build.

Small group. No cameras. Anonymous audio for our global archive.

Join the conversation in your city

What has a bagel got to do with our well-being?

Discussing these stories while sharing this simple food, this episode invites listeners to sit quietly at the table and consider a question: What stories has your body carried with it, and how have they shaped the way you live today?

Hosted by Unoma Azuah in Valdosta, Georgia, this episode of Humans in Conversation explores how the ways we come to see our bodies in childhood and adolescence shape our well-being long into adulthood.

A short transcript is available on our website.

In this Lagos story table, hosted by Marvis Chukwudi, ten people speak honestly about health, wealth, and the mind that grew up in scarcity.
Their stories reveal how childhood experiences with money, survival, and instability shape Nigerians' understanding of rest, guilt, mental health, and self-worth today.

From the nostalgia of roadside Gala to the emotional cost of “hustle culture,” this table exposes what it means to care for yourself in a city that constantly demands resilience. These are not stories of pity or shame. Instead, they are stories of a generation redefining what wellbeing means on their own terms.

As always, the conversation begins with the meditation bell and ends with a local symbol shared by our storytellers.

A short English transcript is available at orangeacademy.net/humansinconversation.

In Bari, Italy, four people share stories of caregiving, love, loss, and resilience. The host is Gianni Marsico. From Adele’s journey of caring for her husband to Ben’s devotion to his partner of 44 years, this first HIC table reminds us that somewhere, someone is figuring life out, and we are all connected.

At the heart of the table was patate, riso e cozze, a traditional Bari dish of potatoes, rice, and mussels. More than food, it became a symbol of community: a dish meant to be shared in abundance, passed from hand to hand, like the stories themselves.

To preserve the nuances of HIC conversations, stories are not translated; however, a short English transcript is available at orangeacademy.net/humans-in-conversation

A Bari, quattro persone condividono storie di cura, amore, perdita e resilienza. A guidare il tavolo è Gianni Marsico. Dal percorso di Adele, che ha accudito il marito per sedici anni, alla dedizione di Ben per il suo compagno da 44 anni, questo primo tavolo HIC ci ricorda che, da qualche parte, qualcuno sta cercando di capire la vita — e che siamo tutti connessi.

Al centro del tavolo c’era patate, riso e cozze, il piatto tradizionale barese di patate, riso e cozze. Più che cibo, è diventato un simbolo di comunità: un piatto pensato per essere condiviso in abbondanza, passato di mano in mano, proprio come le storie.

Per preservare le sfumature delle conversazioni HIC, le storie non sono tradotte; tuttavia, una breve trascrizione in inglese è disponibile su ⁠orangeacademy.net/humans-in-conversation.