What do you do when you realize life has no inherent meaning? You invent your own. In this episode, I’m doing something different: I’m reading a short story from my book, The Healing Book, which published in 2023. The story is called “Searching for Meaning in the Stars,” and it…
Can a conversation with an “ordinary” person be as compelling as one with an expert or a well-known figure? I decided to find out. In this episode, I abandon my usual format—no research, no preparation, no predetermined topic—and sit down with Bob Smith (not his real name), a 73-year-old man…
Can you really make a living as an artist in 2025? After publishing six books, I’ve learned the hard way: the answer is more complicated, and bleaker, than most people realize. In this episode, I sit down with William Deresiewicz, award-winning essayist, cultural critic, and author of The Death of…
What does it take to create music that transcends genres and builds a devoted following? Leo Son and Claire Davis of Bermuda Search Party (formerly The Q-Tip Bandits) have cracked the code—blending soulful melodies, cool lyrics, and joyous energy into a sound that’s taken the New England music scene by…
Can being kinder to yourself actually reduce physical pain? Lower anxiety and depression? Improve your relationships? Dr. Chris Germer, a clinical psychologist and world-leading authority on self-compassion, has spent decades proving the answer is yes. Dr. Germer is a licensed psychotherapist, lecturer on Psychiatry at Harvard Medical School, and founding…
Could we actually resurrect dinosaurs like in Jurassic Park? Design our children’s traits like in Gattaca? Merge human consciousness with machines like in Ghost in the Shell? Dr. Nisha Iyer teaches biomedical engineering students at Tufts University by exploring the real science behind sci-fi movies—and the ethical questions they raise.…
Can a Harvard-educated policy analyst also be one of America’s most gifted psychics? Jeanne Mayell has lived two extraordinary lives. She spent years as the Massachusetts Medicaid Director and policy administrator for New York City’s Office of Management & Budget. She holds Master’s Degrees from Harvard School of Public Health…
Why do some artists stay independent even when success tempts them toward the mainstream? In this episode of Curiously, I talk with Clay Walker—photographer, filmmaker, educator, and lifelong creative—whose 28-year career has helped shaped the landscape of independent film. Clay has produced, directed, photographed, edited, and programmed across a wide…
Why did tuberculosis patients call their time at a remote Adirondack sanatorium “the best time of their lives”? In this episode of Curiously, I talk with Ellen Damsky, PhD—real estate agent, psychic, folklorist, and my most interesting neighbor—to explore her doctoral research on the Adirondack Cottage Sanatorium. Founded by Dr.…
What is therapy really like? What are the biggest misconceptions? Can it work for everyone? In the first episode of Curiously, I sit down with my former therapist, John Grillo, LCSW, to explore these questions and more. Inspired by Jonah Hill’s 2022 documentary Stutz, I decided to have an open…