The Arik Korman Show

Shankar Vedantam, host of the Hidden Brain podcast and public radio show, discusses how we can bring our country together in these divisive times, why it's good to think our children are exceptional, and why we need to feel like our lives have meaning. His new book is Useful Delusions: The Power and Paradox of the Self-Deceiving Brain.

Vanity Fair writer Rebecca Sacks talks about the importance of looking at people as individuals instead of representing a larger group, what we should say to our kids about the Israel-Palestine conflict, and how Rebecca navigated the power dynamics in Israel and Palestine as a person who is Jewish. Her debut novel is City of a Thousand Gates.

Louis Chude-Sokei, editor in chief of the Black Scholar and director of the African American Studies program at Boston University, talks about how we can navigate our sense of belonging and identity, whether there could have been an alternative to colonialism in Africa, and what it's like having an icon for a father. Professor Chude-Sokei’s new book is Floating in a Most Peculiar Way: A Memoir.

Amber Ruffin, writer and cast member on NBC’s Late Night with Seth Meyers, and her big sister Lacey Lamar, who works in healthcare and human services, talk about how to help us check our racial bias, how to help our kids navigate racial injustice, and what it was like when they left their parents' home and went out into the world. Amber and Lacey’s new book is You’ll Never Believe What Happened to Lacey: Crazy Stories About Racism.

Simon Winchester, bestselling author of The Professor and the Madman and The Perfectionists, talks about how we can mitigate historic conflicts over land, how we could talk to our kids about the American Dream of owning a home, and whether the concept of land ownership is beneficial for humanity as a whole. Simon’s latest book is Land: How the Hunger for Ownership Shaped the Modern World.

Fantastic up-and-coming writer Mateo Askaripour talks about how to sell a vision for an anti-racist future, what the difference is between cult and culture, and how to navigate the "game" of startups, sales, and white dominant society. Mateo's debut novel is Black Buck.

World-renowned nature writer Robert Macfarlane shares why certain places have a strong energy or vibe about them, how to talk to our kids about haunted places, and what it's like to stand face to face with a nuclear bomb. Robert’s latest book, co-created with Stanley Donwood and Dan Richards, is Ghostways: Two Journeys in Unquiet Places.

Sabaa Tahir, the #1 New York Times bestselling author of the An Ember in the Ashes series, discusses how to talk to our kids about good and evil in a nuanced way, how to help our kids deal with ambiguity in life, and why our books, movies, and TV shows need to be more diverse. Sabaa’s fourth and final book in the An Ember in the Ashes quartet is A Sky Beyond the Storm.

Sophia Lillis, known for her roles in the It movies and Netflix’s original series I Am Not Okay With This, talks about how the COVID pandemic has impacted her, how she recommends that parents stay connected to kids during the teen years, and how she chooses her acting projects. Sophia’s latest film is Uncle Frank, now available exclusively on Amazon Prime.

Bruce Tulgan, an internationally-recognized expert on best practices of effective management, generational change, and young people in the workplace, talks about when to say yes and when to say no, why a service mindset is the most ambitious thing we can have, and why we shouldn't always try to be friends with our co-workers. Bruce’s latest book is The Art of Being Indispensable at Work: Win Influence, Beat Overcommitment, and Get the Right Things Done. Info at RainmakerThinking.com