Kelly shares the remarkable story of Armia Khalil, a Metropolitan Museum of Art security guard with a secret talent. As a child, Armia played in the mud and created little sculptures by the Nile River. Years later, the artistic young man immigrated to the US with just $375 and a suitcase of woodworking tools. After years of struggle, he landed a job as a security guard at the Met, where a chance conversation with a curator led to his lifelong dream coming true. It's a powerful reminder that everyone—from bus drivers to baristas—carries a universe of dreams inside them. What might we discover if we took a moment to see the artists walking among us?

This episode was inspired by Dodai Stewart's New York Times article.

(published January 8, 2025).⁠

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As a part of our Hard Conversations series, the author of the New York Times best-seller ⁠The Tell and one of TIME's "2025 Women of the Year", Amy Griffin opens up about confronting trauma after decades of silence - and shares with us why sometimes the hardest conversation of all is the one you're afraid to even begin. With warmth and remarkable clarity, Amy shares how perfectionism and achievement served as her smokescreen until a series of events—including a profound comment by her daughter who said, "You're nice but you're not real " and her husband's experience with therapeutic MDMA—led her to face her past. What unfolds isn't just a story of trauma but a testament to the elasticity of love and the freedom that comes with truth-telling. As Amy puts it, "You think secrets keep you safe, but they keep you stuck," revealing how sharing her story allowed her to experience life in "technicolor"—loving deeper, crying harder, and finding joy on the other side of pain. Please note that this episode contains discussion of sexual abuse.

This episode was made possible by a grant from Templeton Religion Trust. To learn more, go to ⁠templetonreligiontrust.org⁠.

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At this time of year, we are knee-deep in sports: college lacrosse, the NBA play-offs and all the golf majors. Where there are sports, there are adjectives describing the athletes and where there are sports championships, those adjectives are garish and piled-high. Kelly wonders if maybe it’s time to use those dazzling descriptors to honor not the elite athletes out there but the army of regular, everyday, hard-working moms. (Previously aired)

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Today's episode is a part of our "About Your Mother" series honoring Every Mother Counts. Bono lost his mother Iris when he was 14 years old. She had an aneurysm at her father’s funeral and as he says, he’s been singing to her ever since. This is a very special conversation, possibly my favorite interview of all time, made more lovely and intimate by the friendship between Bono and Christy going back many years now. (Previously aired)

This series hopes to raise $100,000 to support safe and respectful pregnancy, delivery and postpartum care in 9 countries through Every Mother Counts, founded in 2010 and led every day since by Christy Turlington Burns. Please join us with a donation here. Maternal health is a human right and as Bono says, raising kids takes a village and a mother is a village.

Got feedback? Have an idea? We love to hear form listeners. Write us anytime — [email protected] - or sign up for our weekly list of takeaways here.

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Build the life of your dreams and learn from the world’s most successful people.

Emma Grede, one of America’s richest self-made women - wants you to make the most of your life. On ‘Aspire with Emma Grede', learn through thought-provoking conversations with some of the most successful and smartest minds on the planet.

Each episode will unpack their habits, philosophy and strategies, covering career advice, well-being, psychology and of course how to win in business. The show offers personal stories, data-driven advice, real-world strategies, and the experience you need, to turn your dreams into reality.

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Mary Louise Kelly (host of NPR’s All Things Considered) has been doing some reflecting. What choices did she make and how do they look now, as her nest is nearly empty? Is it okay to travel through war zones when a kid is home with the flu? What is gained and what is lost, for the individuals in question and for society? This is a conversation to take in slowly, to share with every mother you know, and to discuss. (Previously aired)

Thanks to the Aspen Ideas Festival.

Our takeaways were really good on this one…if you’d like to receive the weekly list, just shoot a note to [email protected] or pop by the website and sign up there.

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Kelly shares a listener's story that perfectly captures what Thanks For Being Here is all about - honoring the people who matter most, whether they're still with us or have moved on. Tracy Hargan's beautiful toast to her 80-year-old mother Janet shows us why these tributes are so powerful and needed. Through the toast given at her mom's birthday celebration, Tracy reminds us all to speak our love out loud - to grab those chances to tell someone exactly what they mean to us, creating moments of connection that stay with us forever.

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In this special Go To, Kelly and Christy Turlington Burns sit down with Melinda French Gates to talk about the woman who raised her, Elaine, who taught her to set her own agenda and find a moment every day to really connect with the people who matter most.Our About Your Mother series raises funds to support safe and respectful pregnancy, delivery and postpartum care in 9 countries through Every Mother Counts, founded in 2010 and led every day since by Christy Turlington Burns. (Previously aired)

Please join us with a donation here. Maternal health is a human right.With special thanks to Tracy and David at Laughing Man Studios in Tribeca who support this series with pro bono studio time and superb coffee.Got feedback? Have an idea? We love to hear from listeners. Write us anytime — [email protected] - or sign up for our weekly list of takeaways here.Check out Kelly's Tell Me More episode featuring Melinda French Gates.Past episodes from the About Your Mother series:Jennifer GarnerAmy SchumerBonoCindy Crawford Spike LeeEdward Burns

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As we continue our Hard Conversations series, Kelly talks with Ami Dar, the founder of Idealist.org, about finding hope in a deeply divided world. From his days as a teenage soldier in Israel to creating a global platform for good, Ami shares the moment that changed his perspective forever. With genuine optimism, he makes the case that small actions ripple outward, the world is often kinder than we think, and we're all just looking for ways to connect. Their talk offers both comfort and a nudge toward action - finding common ground with others by starting with what we share before tackling the hard stuff.

This episode was made possible by a grant from Templeton Religion Trust. To learn more, go to templetonreligiontrust.org.

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This week's Thanks For Being Here comes from listener Hilleary Wright who shares an essay written by her 10-year-old son Bruce titled, "Accidental Growth." Bruce's piece details a skiing accident that left him with a spiral-fractured tibia at age five, requiring a full leg cast for six weeks. But the real magic happens in Bruce's reflection on how challenges make us stronger - just like the burls that form on giant sequoias when they're stressed or injured. Bruce's "little-kid wisdom" feels perfect for all of us grinding through 2025's challenges.

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