Wavemaker Conversations

The Formula 1 U.S. Grand Prix takes place this Sunday in Austin TX. The motor sport has a growing global fan base among young people. My guest, Alara Altun, is one of them. But she’s much more than a fan. Alara Altun is a senior strategist with VaynerMedia, and is a key player in that company’s Formula 1 work. But there’s no strategy guiding her in this conversation. Just insight and enthusiasm - which can be contagious.

In light of Tennessee’s failed execution of Christa Pike, who tortured and murdered a classmate when she was 18 years old, there will be a court battle over whether the state should be permitted to try again. Which makes this Wavemaker Conversation. It was conducted in 2015, during the penalty phase of the trial of the Boston Marathon bomber. My guest, Mark Osler, is a law professor and former prosecutor and author of "Jesus on Death Row: The Trial of Jesus and American Capital Punishment." He is joined by Jeanne Bishop, a Cook County public defender whose pregnant sister and brother-in-law were murdered in a Chicago suburb in 1995, which led to a powerful personal journey that she shares in her book, "Change of Heart: Justice, Mercy and Making Peace with My Sister's Killer." Their views are shaped by their deeply held Christian beliefs and, in Bishop’s case, by her experience as a family member of a victim.

As AI reshapes power, two leading cybersecurity minds join me to map the terrain of national security, business and daily life.

Laura Galante is the former Director of the U.S. government’s Cyber Threat Intelligence Integration Center. Tal Feldman is an AI and National Security scholar with a keen focus on China.

Galante and Feldman are two of the clearest communicators you will hear on this subject. This Wavemaker Conversation was recorded Live at the Dreamland Theatre in Nantucket on August 23rd, and sponsored by White Elephant Resorts and the Inquirer and Mirror newspaper.

Former NFL offensive lineman John Urschel fell in love with math before he fell in love with football. He pursued both fields with equal intensity. How he has succeeded in both (his mother played an important role) is an inspiring story - and as good a reason as any to bring back this 2015 conversation from the Wavemaker archives.

But I’m revisiting it now because of a major new study out this week that concluded at least one of every four former NFL players has been afflicted with the degenerative brain disease CTE, which is caused by the cumulative force of repeated hits to the head. The risk of suffering brain damage from playing professional football was what led me to contact Urschel in the first place - and to learn why a person who aspired to be a leader in the field of math, would take such a risk.

Sebastian Junger and I discuss his search for purpose as a young man; his 1997 best-seller, The Perfect Storm, that put him on the map; his high risk years as a war reporter; the aneurism that nearly killed him; becoming a father late in life; and what he calls the “escape from the tyranny of self-interest.” A riveting and thought-provoking introduction to a journalist you’ll be seeing more of in his new role as a Contributor to 60 Minutes. Our conversation was recorded live at the 2023 Nantucket Book Festival (which just celebrated its 15th year!)

Find part 1 of this conversation HERE

Spencer Glendon's work on climate change is driven by this question: How can we, together, "increase our chances that the future is good?"

Glendon is answering that question through his nonprofit organization Probable Futures, which has created a suite of tools, including vivid interactive maps, that help us visualize climate change's evolving impacts - locally, regionally, and globally. Much of this episode requires watching the images as well as listening, so I hope you can watch the video of our conversation on Spotify, YouTube, or my website at wavemaker.me

And please make sure to listen to the last 15 minutes in which Glendon opens up about the extreme health challenges he has faced since he was a high school student, and how he successfully increased the chances that his own future would be good.

Spencer Glendon, one of the most brilliant guys I've ever heard speak, is the creator of Probable Futures, an ambitious project focused on what he calls climate literacy. I've brought back this conversation of ours from 2022 in light of the extreme wildfires and heat waves in Europe and the broader, continual flow of evidence that our climate has been dangerously destabilized. There are plenty of great climate experts. Why spend time listening to Spencer Glendon? For me, the answer begins with his riveting personal and professional journey in the decades before he started exploring climate change. That's what we focus on in this first of our two-part conversation. We'll take the deep dive into climate change in Part Two next week.

Joining Michael for this conversation about America’s past, present, and future, on the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence, are:

David Blight - Yale History Professor. Winner of the Pulitzer Prize for his biography of Frederick Douglass

Peter Baker - Chief White House Correspondent for the New York Times

Susan Glasser - Staff Writer at The New Yorker

Recorded live at Nantucket’s Dreamland Theatre on July 4th, 2026

Michael’s conversation with The New Yorker’s Evan Osnos Live at Nantucket’s Dreamland Theatre from July 2025.

The New Yorker’s Evan Osnos has spent years diving deep into the world of the ultra-rich. His jaw-dropping reporting, in The Haves and Have Yachts, sheds light on why so much wealth in America is concentrated in the hands of so few.

Michael delves into how the body, mind and spirit impact wellness with three featured guests at this summer’s Nantucket Wellness Festival.

We can’t beat the guest introductions delivered by the Festival’s co-founder, Joann Burnham: 

Dr. Shieva Ghofrany, MD: 

“We knew we had to have a gorgeous goddess represented on the panel... goddess is a big word. So finding a science-based goddess was our mission. And we think Shiva Gofrani fits that bill. She's a board certified OBGYN who's been caring for women since 1999. She blends decades of clinical expertise along with a really deeply personal, empathetic approach to medicine. She has a private practice in Stamford, Connecticut. She also leads a telehealth practice dedicated to supporting women through midlife. Her ability to translate evidence-based OBGYN knowledge into real, relatable conversations has helped countless women feel seen, informed and motivated to advocate for their own wellbeing at every stage of their life.”

Ben Rein, PhD:

“Now when you get into this wellness thing, people always ask, is there any science behind it? So it was really important to me that we had a science guy. And Ben Rein is our science guy. He's an award-winning neuroscientist, author, science communicator. He's the chief science officer of the Mind Science Foundation, head of Science Communication and Research Hub Foundation. Is that enough science for you? He's an adjunct lecturer at Stanford University and a clinical assistant professor at SUNY Buffalo. He has published over 20 peer reviewed papers on neuroscience and his book is available throughout the weekend Why Brains Need Friends: The Neuroscience of Social Connection. Ben is also an overall great guy and he's a brand new dad.”

Ian Lopatin:

“Ian Lopatin is a visionary entrepreneur, author and frequency architect. He's best known as the founder of Course Sanctuary and Spiritual Gangster. Who has a spiritual gangster T-shirt? I do. He graduated from Vanderbilt University, UCLA Law School, and he's widely regarded as a bridge between business and spirituality. His core philosophy, My Frequency Creates My Reality. His first book, which we are so excited about... [is] called The Way of a Spiritual Gangster, and it will be released later this year. It's offering readers a roadmap to higher frequency living and purpose-driven success.”