Roz Chast, the award-winning cartoonist for The New Yorker magazine, has created a world of laughter despite painful circumstances. In this episode of The Thread, Chast describes her far-from-comic childhood without mincing words: “I couldn’t stand my parents. A terrible thing to say, but true.” She highlights the impact of iconic cartoonist Charles Addams on her work and explains how storytelling through cartoons has allowed her – and millions of readers – to develop empathy, forge meaningful connections, and express the joy of life with her unique gift of humor.

Martin Sheen is a national treasure, as both an acclaimed actor and as a lifelong activist for social justice. In this episode of The Thread, the Emmy-Award winning “acting president” from television’s The West Wing, shares stories from his six-decade career in film and television and describes the struggles of starting out in a profession where his birth name of Ramon Estevez was deemed “too Puerto Rican”. Never afraid to “walk the talk,” Martin Sheen has literally put his body on the line for the causes he believes in; from opposing the death penalty and nuclear power to supporting LGBTQ rights. He details his numerous arrests for civil disobedience, all of which were informed by a deep Catholic faith that taught him to fight injustice not as a choice, but as a duty.

Tova Friedman is one the few remaining living witnesses to the horrors of the Holocaust. In this episode of The Thread, she recounts a childhood of unimaginable brutality and terror, marked by starvation labor camps and the crematoriums of Auschwitz. She shares the challenges her family faced as survivors in postwar America emphasizing the importance of storytelling to ensure her children and grandchildren – and all children – carry on a legacy of remembrance and resilience.

Jason Reynolds, the New York Times #1 bestselling author and poet, is a wizard with words. In this episode of The Thread, he opens up about being the child of divorce and how, when he was adrift in life, a high school teacher shocked him into an awareness of the importance of self-sacrifice and moral courage. Now, Jason Reynolds uses storytelling to inspire young readers to discover those essential qualities of humanity within themselves. Reynolds' books have recently sparked national controversy as they face bans in numerous schools across the country.

Subscribe for access to interviews, series, films, and educational materials that address issues of social justice, history, politics, the arts, and culture by spotlighting relatable human stories of purpose and meaning. Learn about our work and how to support our mission here: https://www.lifestories.org/. For extended versions of these interviews and more, visit: https://www.youtube.com/@lifestoriesinterviewarchive

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Gloria Estefan, known to most as an internationally acclaimed recording artist and performer, opens her heart to share deeply personal stories in this episode of The Thread. We learn about her life as the young daughter of Cuban parents who were in grave danger when Fidel Castro came to power in Cuba. She takes us on a harrowing journey of fleeing to America, her father’s return to Cuba as an American freedom fighter, and the childhood discovery of her extraordinary musical talent that gave her private comfort in dark times – a talent she never intended to turn into a career. How she went on to become the “Queen of Latin Pop” is an inspiring story of strength, perseverance, and the life-sustaining power of love.

Subscribe for access to interviews, series, films, and educational materials that address issues of social justice, history, politics, the arts, and culture by spotlighting relatable human stories of purpose and meaning. Learn about our work and how to support our mission here: https://www.lifestories.org/. For extended versions of these interviews and more, visit: https://www.youtube.com/@lifestoriesinterviewarchive

Follow us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lifestoriesinterviews/

The Thread is a new documentary interview series on Spotify in which exceptional individuals share the different paths they have taken to lead meaningful lives. Each 30-minute episode of The Thread will take the viewer on a personal journey into the life of an extraordinary individual who explores their life’s passion and purpose. The Thread will tug at the heart and reveal insights into some of the most meaningful lives of our time.