The Morning Four

It can be difficult to see the silver lining in a challenging situation when you are in the middle of it -- but some of the most successful people on the planet faced struggles and failures along their path to greatness.

Over the weekend Americans learned of the death of Arizona Senator John McCain. We want to send our heartfelt condolences to Senator McCain's family and say thank you for his public service.

Special guest hosts Emilia and London Parsons tell their parents WHY they need a pet. Tune in tomorrow for a return to our regularly scheduled programming!

Our brains are so important - even if we don't care for them the way we should.  Today's episode provides some easy tips for keeping your brain healthy, strong and most of all, happy

It seems crazy to think of a time when black Americans were not permitted to play tennis in professional leagues -- but Althea Gibson was the first person to break the color barrier on the tennis court on this date in 1950. Today's podcast also talks about how long snails can sleep (hint: a long time) and a time of day you may want to avoid a mirror. Come for the trivia - stick around for the affirmation

Today's podcast discusses two important technology advancements that happened on yesterday's date -- and celebrates the statehood of one of America's most popular places. If you've seen the movie Christopher Robin then you'll want to listen in on our third segment and stick around for our affirmation at the end.

I was saddened to learn about the death of Aretha Franklin last week - and like others whose lives she touched with her story and soulful voice, there is definitely a void that won't soon be filled. Rest in Power, Aretha.

Happy Birthday to my dad, Bruce Powalski. Sending love and good wishes for an amazing year, Dad!

We take SO many selfies and that's alright with me - and did you know that "Green Eggs and Ham" started as a bet between Dr. Seuss and his publisher? Our third segment is a quick -- pretty hilarious -- fact about Russian beer that you won't want to miss.

Today marks 122 years since North America's last great gold rush kicked off, in Canada's Yukon territory. Today is also the 60th birthday of the original material girl, Madonna. And speaking of gold and material possessions - our third segment today features a really, really rich cat.

There were an estimated 400,000 people at the outdoor music festival Woodstock when it kicked off on this date in 1969 - so many that the organizers ended up having make it a free event because there was simply no way to track everyone. The author of "Showboat" was born on Aug. 15 and we have her to thank for not being able to help lovin' who we do (and singing about it, too). Our third segment today talks about Julius Caesar and his offense at pirates not asking a high enough ransom for him -- we should all be worthy of higher ransom, don't you think?