Author, journalist and professor Walter Isaacson has delved into the lives of influential figures ranging from Leonardo da Vinci to Ada Lovelace. He believes that those who thrive at the intersection of arts and sciences are the ones who will become a part of history. Isaacson shares his Brief but Spectacular take on what’s it’s like to write about people.

Telling a person's story is not unlike being a biologist, says Jay Allison. "You go out in the world and encounter actual life and you collect it...and you bring it back and you study it and then you figure out how to present it," he says. Allison, an independent journalist who produces the Moth Radio Hour and founded Transom.org, shares his Brief but Spectacular on finding stories.

There's a cascade of dire problems that can occur even if you're only in jail for one day, says attorney Robin Steinberg. The CEO of The Bail Project -- a national organization that pays bail for tens of thousands of low-income Americans at risk of pretrial detention -- gives her Brief But Spectacular take on disrupting the money bail system and turning the tide on U.S. mass incarceration.

For today's high school students, perfect records are valued more than authentic exploration, says Abby Falik. But the founder of the nonprofit Global Citizen Year sees firsthand the benefit of taking kids out of their comfort zone by giving them a gap year in an international setting. Falk offers her Brief but Spectacular take on preparing a new generation of leaders.

Author Jonny Sun amassed a loyal Twitter following through his honesty, humor and irreverent candor. His latest book, "Everyone’s a Aliebn When U a Alien Too," features the distinctive “intentional clumsiness” for which he is known. We turn to Sun for his Brief but Spectacular take on the upside of online anonymity.

More than 7 million people viewed teacher Flossie Lewis's Brief but Spectacular take on growing old in 2016. When it aired, her former students contacted us by the dozen, many to express appreciation for the profound impact she had on their lives. Flossie, now 94, returns in this special installment for an inspirational class discussion with some of her biggest fans.

Sometimes acknowledging our weaknesses and limitations can actually make us stronger, suggests Adam Grant, an organizational psychologist, author and podcast host. But like arguing, there are constructive ways of giving feedback that can make another person feel like you're trying to help. Grant offers his Brief but Spectacular take on feedback.

Growing up in a family with Chinese, Dutch-Indonesian and Native American ancestry, Kayla Briët says the first medium that really allowed her to express her identity was music. Briët offers her Brief but Spectacular take on storytelling through art, language and identity.

As a former refugee, Hamse Warfa remembers first-hand being completely excluded from the global economic ecosystem. It's a problem that affects 2.5 billion around the world, but he's now dedicated to ensuring that banking and market systems be inclusive. Warfa offers his Brief but Spectacular take on creating economic identities for everyone.

The inhumanity of being on street without the security of a home is a very debilitating experience, says Joe Wilson, the executive director of the Hospitality House in San Francisco. And for those who have nothing, it's the "harshness in our eyes" that really makes an imprint. Wilson shares his Brief but Spectacular take on being homeless in America.