The Connection with Marty Moss-Coane

Back in 2021, as the country emerged from the pandemic, millions of Americans began quitting their jobs. Burned out by the stresses of work, many demanded greater flexibility and a healthier work–life balance. Organizational psychologist Anthony Klotz called this trend the “Great Resignation”—a phrase that quickly stuck.

Now, five years later, workers are more likely to stay in their jobs, choosing stability over the uncertainty of the job market. But staying put doesn’t mean putting your career on hold.

Anthony Klotz joins us to talk about why people resign and about something he calls “jolts’ — unexpected events that cause us to rethink our relationship to work. While we often believe our careers are the result of careful planning, Klotz argues that jolts play a surprisingly significant role. His book is Jolted: Why We Quit, When to Stay, and Why It Matters.

American children used to be adventurous eaters. Why has kids’ food become so bland? And why are so many fussy about what’s on their plates?

Political polarization is tearing the country apart with partisans viewing the other side in increasing personal terms, as immoral or evil. There have always been deep disagreements and conflicts in America but as we get ready to celebrate the country’s 250th anniversary it feels as if democracy itself is on the line.

Psychologist Keith Payne argues that few of us hold a fully coherent or consistent political ideology. Instead, its our social identities — our sense of belonging to particular groups — that often shape our belief system.

In his book Good Reasonable People, Payne explores why today’s divide is so hard to understand and to bridge: nearly everyone believes they are a good, reasonable person acting in good faith.

Keith Payne joins us to examine the roots of political polarization and the steps it might take to find common ground.

Life is hard. We are all going to have to face crises, conflicts, disappointments — sometimes even terrible events that can feel overwhelming, leading to depression, anxiety, sometimes even trauma.

And while these stresses can test our emotional equilibrium, it turns out that most of us will be OK. Our guest, psychologist George Bonanno, says we have overestimated the debilitating power of post-traumatic stress disorder and underestimated our own ability to recover from adverse events.

He joins us to talk about how we already possess the tools and skills to take on life’s many challenges.

Bonanno wrote a book a few years ago, The End of Trauma: How the New Science of Resilience Is Changing How We Think About PTSD.

Father Martin once thought he’d work in the corporate world, but after a few years in New York City, he realized he hated his life. Now he’s written a new memoir about the many summer jobs he had as a kid and how they prepared him for the priesthood.

Psychiatrist Jennifer Reid on where unreasonable expectations come from, how guilt pulls us away from what really matters, and what it takes to finally give ourselves a break.

Neuroscientist Abigail Marsh on extraordinary altruism—people who risk their lives to help strangers—and its opposite: psychopathy, little or no capacity for empathy.

Salman Rushdie knows more about death than most of us. Decades ago, he lived in hiding after a death threat was issued by Iran’s Ayatollah Khomeini following the publication of his novel The Satanic Verses.

Humor, he says, also allows us to be more observant, more vulnerable and more willing to take social risks. He joins us this week to talk about how to find laughter in our not-so-funny world. He’s hosts the podcast How to be a Better Human.

Ezekiel Emanuel is an oncologist, bioethicist, and health policy analyst who wrote a provocative piece for The Atlantic in 2014 titled “Why I Hope to Die at 75.”

In the article, he argued that quality of life matters more than longevity, which results inevitably in decline, disability and disease. He will not turn 75 until 2032, at which point he said he would refuse treatments and tests and live out his natural life.

In the meantime, Emanuel has written a book, Eat Your Ice Cream, about how to live a long and healthy life.

He urges readers to forget the pricey fads and pseudoscientific claims that promise to defy the odds. Longevity, he says, is not a competition to see who can live the longest. Instead, he offers instead six simple rules: avoid unnecessary risks, be socially connected, stay curious and active, sleep well and reward yourself from time to time.

Emanuel joins us to take on the wellness industrial complex and talk about how to get the most out of living.