Well Said

Beloved bestselling author and scientist Brené Brown has spent the past two decades researching courage, vulnerability, shame, and empathy. Her newest book, Atlas of the Heart, draws on that research and provides a map to capture the nuanced language of human emotion. In conversation with Chief Booklover Heather Reisman, Brown explains that the book came together through thousands of interviews and real-life examples. She also shares how new research completely changed how she thinks about humiliation and shame.

Author and historian Timothy Snyder’s 2017 book, On Tyranny, caught the attention of the masses with 20 lessons on how to combat the rise of tyranny. Here, he talks about the attention-capturing force of social media and what happens when you lose local news. Listen to hear three surprising things that we can all do to strengthen democracy.

Author and historian Timothy Snyder’s 2017 book, On Tyranny, caught the attention of the masses with 20 lessons on how to combat the rise of tyranny. Here, he talks about the attention-capturing force of social media and what happens when you lose local news. Listen to hear three surprising things that we can all do to strengthen democracy.

Renowned researcher Dr. Dale Bredesen is an expert on neurodegenerative diseases. He’s also the founding president of the Buck Institute for Research on Aging, and the chief science officer at Apollo Health. His book The End of Alzheimer’s was an Indigo and New York Times bestseller. His latest book, The First Survivors of Alzheimer’s, features stories from real patients who have followed his protocol and improved cognitive function and quality of life. So what’s the secret? Well, there are things you can start doing today to fight against Alzheimer’s, a disease Bredesen says is on the rise among younger people. Listen in to find out more.

Award-winning author and performer Ivan Coyote has spent decades on the road, telling stories to audiences. From these experiences came letters — lots of them. For years, Ivan held onto those special communications, and when the pandemic cancelled tours worldwide, they had the opportunity to actually answer them. Their latest book, Care Of: Letters, Connections, and Cures, is a love letter to human connection. Listen in to hear Ivan’s poignant thoughts on the reciprocal nature of mentorship, the importance of having many trans narratives, the fallacy of vulnerability, and what it means to be a community leader.

Alex Johnston is a CEO, women’s advocate, policymaker, and lawyer. She’s also a mother of three children, but her journey to parenthood was rife with fertility challenges. She’s championing a call to action about reproductive health, and speaks to us about why we need to be having conversations around infertility more urgently.

Poet, speaker, and educator Najwa Zebian has gained a loyal following online for her authentic and moving poems. The Lebanese-Canadian author’s Insta-poetry rose in popularity during the #MeToo movement and her Ted Talk on building solidarity has been viewed thousands of times. Her latest book, Welcome Home, is her first work of non-fiction. “I'd been building my sense of identity outside of myself. And that's what led me to writing Welcome Home,” she tells us. Listen in to hear her thoughts on how to build a home within yourself and develop self-acceptance, and learn more about her transformative experience with writing and journaling.

Dr. Jen Gunter has been called the Internet’s most fearless advocate for women’s health. The OB/GYN, a.k.a. Twitter’s Resident Gynecologist, has a knack for debunking misinformation and empowering women. Her latest book, The Menopause Manifesto, is a followup to her No. 1 bestseller The Vagina Bible. “I couldn’t write about menopause without making it a feminist work, because up until really now, menopause has been viewed through patriarchal eyes,” she says. Gunter speaks to us about challenging the narrative that women’s parts are “dirty” and offers tips on how to find information online from reliable health sources. Listen in to find out how she’s using social media to educate the public.

Malcolm Gladwell is the author of five critically acclaimed New York Times bestsellers—The Tipping Point, Blink, Outliers, What the Dog Saw, and David and Goliath. He’s known for his entertaining, well-researched narratives that provoke readers to see the world in different ways. His seventh book, The Bomber Mafia, tells the story of a Dutch inventor, a group of young military men at a forgotten U.S. air force base, and the unintended consequences of breakthrough inventions. Listen in to learn more about his new book, how new ideas take hold in the real world, and what attracted him to this subject matter.

Two-time Olympian Perdita Felicien is no stranger to overcoming obstacles. Literally, as a 10-time National Champion hurdler, but also figuratively, as a memoirist with a story to tell. Perdita shares with us what it was like to write about the intimate details of her mother’s life, her fierce determination in pursuing her big dreams, and what it’s like when you finally get there.