The Arik Korman Show

University of Sydney professor Peter Godfrey-Smith, author of the bestselling Other Minds: The Octopus, the Sea, and the Deep Origins of Consciousness, discusses how life on Earth has changed our planet, whether there might be life on other planets, and what the future of humanity could look like. Professor Godfrey-Smith's new book is Living on Earth: Forests, Corals, Consciousness, and the Making of the World.

Yale professor Ebony Reed, a seasoned journalist who is also the Chief Strategy Officer at the Marshall Project, a news outlet focused on the justice system, discusses the intersection of race and money, how the current Black/white wealth gap compares to the gap after the Civil War, and how we should talk to our kids about wealth. Ebony’s new book, co-authored with Louise Story, is Fifteen Cents on the Dollar: How Americans Made the Black-White Wealth Gap.

Luke Raley, outfielder and first baseman for the Seattle Mariners, discusses how he manages stress when he walks up to the plate, how he stays grounded in reality as a major league baseball player, and what advice he has for young people who want to become professional athletes.

Daniela Rus, Director of the Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory at MIT, discusses how smart robots actually are, what the differences are between robotics, artificial intelligence, and machine learning, and why Iron Man is her favorite superhero. Dr. Rus' new book is The Heart and the Chip: Our Bright Future with Robots.

Adam Gopnik, staff writer at The New Yorker, discusses how to overcome our anxiety about trying new things, how to redirect our kids away from having too much screen time, and what ultimately gives us the most happiness in life. Adam's latest book is All That Happiness Is: Some Words on What Matters.

R. Derek Black (they/them), a doctoral candidate in history at the University of Chicago whose father was a former Grand Wizard in the Ku Klux Klan and started Stormfront, the Internet's first white supremacist website, discusses how it felt to be the heir apparent to a white nationalist movement, how they interacted with family after renouncing white nationalism, and how we can come together as a country. Derek’s new book is The Klansman’s Son: My Journey from White Nationalism to Antiracism.

Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah, New York Times bestselling author and Adjunct Assistant Professor at Columbia University, discusses whether you can be a fan of consumer sports like the NFL and still criticize them, how we can disrupt America's systemic racism, unchecked capitalism, and mass incarceration, and why it's important to value and respect the leadership of our youth. Nana's latest book is Chain Gang All Stars.

Communication, collaboration, and conflict management expert Elaine Lin Hering discusses how to create a sense of safety in the workplace or at home so that people will feel comfortable speaking up, how much conflict is healthy in an organization or a family, and how to teach our children when to speak up. Elaine's new book is Unlearning Silence: How to Speak Your Mind, Unleash Talent, and Live More Fully.

Novelist, screenwriter, and Russian translator Katya Apekina discusses what to say to our kids about the Russia-Ukraine war, what it's like trying to raise a bilingual, bicultural child, and what it feels like to leave your family behind and move to a new country. Katya's new novel is Mother Doll.

Burnout management coach and TikTok star Emily Ballesteros discusses what burnout does to us, what the impacts are of not having a "third place," and how hard we really need to work. Emily's new book is The Cure for Burnout: How to Find Balance and Reclaim Your Life.