Family Secrets

In Conversation with Professor Michael Slepian

07 Jul 2022

Contributed by Lukas

In this bonus episode, Dani speaks with professor and author Michael Slepian about the psychology of secret keeping and his new book The Secret Life ...

Bonus: In Conversation with Galit Atlas

23 Jun 2022

Contributed by Lukas

In this bonus episode, Dani speaks with psychoanalyst and author Dr. Galit Atlas about her new book Emotional Inheritance and the role of secrecy in ...

Bonus: Our Conversation with 2022 Pulitzer Prize Winning Writer Jennifer Senior

12 May 2022

Contributed by Lukas

In this replay bonus episode, Dani speaks with writer Jennifer Senior about her cover story ‘What Bobby McIlvaine Left Behind’ for the Sep...

Bonus: Stories You Want to Hear

28 Apr 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Tell us what stories you'd like to hear at 1-888-SECRET-0.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Bonus: Dani and Nora

17 Mar 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Dani sits down with her friend and fellow podcaster Nora McInerney for a deep dive into her own family secrets. Learn more about your ad-choices at h...

Family Secrets Mixtape: A Treat from Hark Audio

17 Feb 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Dani recalls some of her favorite Family Secrets moments in this special bonus episode put together by Hark. Watch for more bonus content as we contin...

Can We Just Go Get Her?

10 Feb 2022

Contributed by Lukas

When Zoe Shaw becomes pregnant at fifteen years old, her life is thrown into orbit. Not only must she conceal her pregnancy from her family and commun...

Mermaid Manor

03 Feb 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Liz Scheier’s mother is eccentric at best, and violent at worst. In the grips of mental illness, she keeps secrets and tells lies. It isn’t until ...

Circle Yes or No

27 Jan 2022

Contributed by Lukas

In 1988, Margaret Kimball is four years old and her mother attempts suicide; this is just one of several family secrets. As Margaret searches for answ...

Yellow Legal Notepad

20 Jan 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Beneath Justine’s mother’s polished façade lay a fearsome rage that drives Justine to flee from home. After her mother dies, Justine uncovers an ...

Escape Velocity

13 Jan 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Just as Adam approaches an exciting apex in his career, he receives life-shattering news which stems from a deep and painful family secret. Learn mor...

Tarof

06 Jan 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Michelle grapples with the memory of her sexual assault and home invasion that occurred during her college years. Twenty years later, after a career o...

The 5:00 AM Call

30 Dec 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Actress Maddie Corman is driving at 5:00 am to a TV soundstage to film a television show when she gets a panicked call from her children; police are a...

Taxidermied Duck

23 Dec 2021

Contributed by Lukas

After years of estrangement and hiding his true self, Trent loses his father. His inheritance is a puzzling combination of his father’s beat-up wood...

Nom du Père

16 Dec 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Sherry Turkle grows up surrounded by mysteries—her own identity included. Her mother is full of unknowns, especially when it comes to her relationsh...

Wind Beneath My Wings

09 Dec 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Qian Julie Wang is just seven years old when her family arrives in America in 1994, and her whole world changes. Impoverished, isolated, and considere...

Family Secrets: Season 6 Trailer

02 Dec 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Inside every secret is a truth. And you know what they say: the truth will set us free. Season 6 of Family Secrets launches Thursday, December 9th. ...

Bonus: A Thanksgiving Message from Dani

25 Nov 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Dani gives her thanks to the Family Secrets community this holiday. Be sure to tune in to season 6 on December 9th. Learn more about your ad-choices ...

Bonus: Dani's Listening, Episode 6

14 Oct 2021

Contributed by Lukas

In this new bonus series, “Dani’s Listening”, Dani connects with listeners by responding to those who’ve called in to share their family secre...

Bonus: Dani's Listening, Episode 5

30 Sep 2021

Contributed by Lukas

In this new bonus series, “Dani’s Listening”, Dani connects with listeners by responding to those who’ve called in to share their family secre...

Bonus: Dani's Listening, Episode 4

09 Sep 2021

Contributed by Lukas

In this new bonus series, “Dani’s Listening”, Dani connects with listeners by responding to those who’ve called in to share their family secre...

Bonus: In Conversation with Jennifer Senior

26 Aug 2021

Contributed by Lukas

In this bonus episode, Dani speaks with writer Jennifer Senior about her cover story ‘What Bobby McIlvaine Left Behind’ for the September 2021 iss...

Bonus: Dani's Listening, Episode 3

19 Aug 2021

Contributed by Lukas

In this new bonus series, “Dani’s Listening”, Dani connects with listeners by responding to those who’ve called in to share their family secre...

Bonus: Dani’s Listening, Episode 2

05 Aug 2021

Contributed by Lukas

In this new bonus series, “Dani’s Listening”, Dani connects with listeners by responding to those who’ve called in to share their family secre...

Bonus: Dani's Listening, Episode 1

22 Jul 2021

Contributed by Lukas

In this new bonus series, “Dani’s Listening”, Dani connects with listeners by responding to those who’ve called in to share their family secre...

Bonus: What You Don't Know Won't Hurt You?

29 Jun 2021

Contributed by Lukas

In this bonus episode, Dani sits down for a conversation with Kelly Corrigan for her podcast, Kelly Corrigan Wonders. Learn more about your ad-choice...

Update: Dani's Listening

14 Jun 2021

Contributed by Lukas

An exciting update from Dani on upcoming Family Secrets bonus content. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee om...

The Local Intelligentsia

03 Jun 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Graphic memoirist Alison Bechdel had a complicated relationship with her father, who hid his sexuality from just about everyone in their small Pennsyl...

The Blue Chair

27 May 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Nadia Owusu always worshipped her father, and his death when she was just 13 turned her world upside down. Fifteen years later, a bitter argument with...

Secret Garden

20 May 2021

Contributed by Lukas

As a kid, Liza Rodman spent her summers in Provincetown, trying her best to stay out of her volatile mother’s way. Her favorite escape: running erra...

Fainting Goat Syndrome

13 May 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Nicole Georges never knew her father. From the time she was little, she was told he died when she was just an infant—of colon cancer, her mom said....

My Lolita

06 May 2021

Contributed by Lukas

At just 17 years old, Alisson Wood began a dangerous entanglement with a creative writing teacher at her school, who gifted her a copy of Nabokov’s ...

Facing Forward

29 Apr 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Growing up in post-war America, Alexander Wolff had a vague sense that his father, Nico, and his grandfather, Kurt, had two very different wartime exp...

Back Home

22 Apr 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Emma Ramos grew up in a deeply religious, and deeply patriarchal, town in Mexico, where carving out an independent life for herself—outside her pare...

The Goofy Ring

15 Apr 2021

Contributed by Lukas

As a law student, Alex Marzano-Lesnevich was vehemently opposed to the death penalty, even in the most heinous of crimes. Yet their deeply-held belief...

Goddess of Compassion

08 Apr 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Ly Tran’s father refused to accept any kind of weakness in his children—not even something as commonplace, and easily remedied, as poor vision. So...

The Vampire Bat

01 Apr 2021

Contributed by Lukas

What’s it like to live your life so deep undercover, handling secrets that are so sensitive, not even the people who know you best—not your friend...

Family Secrets: Season 5 Trailer

25 Mar 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Join us for more incredible stories about what happens when long-held family secrets come to light. The new season of Family Secrets launches Thursday...

Bonus: In Conversation with Dr. Rachel Yehuda, Part II

26 Feb 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Dani continues her discussion with Dr. Yehuda about intergenerational trauma, and her fascinating new research into psychedelics as a potential treatm...

Bonus: In Conversation with Dr. Rachel Yehuda

25 Feb 2021

Contributed by Lukas

In this special episode, Dani speaks with noted trauma expert Dr. Rachel Yehuda about the controversial history of PTSD as a diagnosis, the disorder’...

Bonus: In Conversation with Robert Kolker

05 Feb 2021

Contributed by Lukas

In this special bonus episode, recorded as part of the Two Writers Talking virtual series, Dani and journalist Robert Kolker—author of the instant N...

Bonus: Listener Stories, Episode 22

21 Jan 2021

Contributed by Lukas

In this bonus episode we hear from listeners in the Family Secrets community. To share your secret, call 1-888-SECRET-0. Learn more about your ad-cho...

Update: Thanks From Dani

10 Dec 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Thank you for listening to season four of Family Secrets. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/...

The Big Feelings

03 Dec 2020

Contributed by Lukas

David Ingber is a spiritual leader and father of three young kids, beloved by his large New York City Congregation. His wisdom and ability to comfort ...

Pulp Fictions

26 Nov 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Julia McKenzie Munemo’s late father made his living by churning out trashy novels—that was about as much as she was willing to admit. But she had ...

Old Boys’ Club

19 Nov 2020

Contributed by Lukas

During her second year at an elite New England boarding school, Lacy Crawford was brutally assaulted by two senior boys. When the extent of the damage...

Girl Planet

12 Nov 2020

Contributed by Lukas

For the first 40 years of her life, Jennifer Finney Boylan figured the price of living her truth would be much too steep; by opening up about who she ...

Burning It Down

05 Nov 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Nick Flynn was 7 years old when his house burned down. The official story, the one everyone laughed about, was that raccoons had knocked over the fami...

Kasha

29 Oct 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Outwardly, Susan Burton had it all—a degree from Yale, a thriving career, a loving husband and kids. Inside, Susan waged a war on herself, using foo...

The Second Secret

22 Oct 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Lindsay Roemer assumed she’d metabolized, and mostly moved on from, the secret that had been kept from her most of her life—until an unexpected Fa...

You Used to Smile

15 Oct 2020

Contributed by Lukas

The smart, opinionated, funny women who raised Saeed Jones—his mother and his grandmother—had a profound influence on his identity. But it was the...

Getting By

08 Oct 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Singer Kanene Pipkin always loved her mother, but they weren’t exactly close. Until one day her mother called with some news Kanene couldn’t wrap ...

The Wire

01 Oct 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Ruthie Lindsey attracted a massive following with her picture-perfect lifestyle shots on Instagram. But what those images didn’t show was everything...

Update: A Sneak Peek of Family Secrets Season 4

24 Sep 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Ruthie Lindsey knows first-hand just how much pain might be hiding behind someone’s picture-perfect social media presence. Hear the rest of her stor...

Family Secrets: Season 4 Trailer

17 Sep 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Get ready for more incredible stories about the secrets—both big and small—that shape us from the inside out. The new season of Family Secrets lau...

Update: Hi From Dani

04 Sep 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Dani checks in with a quick update on season 4. (Mark your calendars for October 1!) Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnet...

Bonus: Listener Stories, Episode 21

13 Aug 2020

Contributed by Lukas

In this bonus episode we hear from listeners in the Family Secrets community. To share your secret, call 1-888-SECRET-0. Learn more about your ad-cho...

Bonus: Listener Stories, Episode 20

30 Jul 2020

Contributed by Lukas

In this bonus episode we hear from listeners in the Family Secrets community. To share your secret, call 1-888-SECRET-0. Learn more about your ad-cho...

Bonus: In Conversation with Alicia Keys, Pt. 2

17 Jul 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Dani and Alicia continue their conversation about becoming the person you were always meant to be, and Alicia shares her strategy for moving forward w...

Bonus: In Conversation with Alicia Keys

16 Jul 2020

Contributed by Lukas

On this very special episode of Family Secrets, Dani speaks with singer-songwriter Alicia Keys about living unapologetically, making art without compr...

Bonus: Forever35’s Doree Shafrir and Kate Spencer on What Self-Care Means in This Moment

27 Jun 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Dani calls up Doree and Kate, hosts of the hit podcast Forever35, for an in-depth conversation about self-care, shifting priorities, and why it’s so...

Bonus: Listener Stories, Episode 19

25 Jun 2020

Contributed by Lukas

In this bonus episode we hear from listeners in the Family Secrets community. To share your secret, call 1-888-SECRET-0. Learn more about your ad-cho...

Bonus: Listener Stories, Episode 18

19 Jun 2020

Contributed by Lukas

In this bonus episode we hear from listeners in the Family Secrets community. To share your secret, call 1-888-SECRET-0. Learn more about your ad-cho...

Family Secrets Live: In Conversation with Liz Phair, Part II

30 May 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Dani and Liz respond to questions from the audience about shame, the power of the unthought known, and the growing community of people who find out la...

Family Secrets Live: In Conversation with Liz Phair

29 May 2020

Contributed by Lukas

On this special live episode of Family Secrets, recorded in Los Angeles in January, Dani sits down with indie rock icon Liz Phair to talk about the st...

Family Secrets Live: In Conversation with Gretchen Rubin, Part II

22 May 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Dani and Gretchen respond to audience questions — including one from a former anonymous sperm donor, who wonders where his loyalties should lie afte...

Family Secrets Live: In Conversation with Gretchen Rubin

21 May 2020

Contributed by Lukas

On this special live episode of Family Secrets, recorded in Philadelphia in January, author and podcast host Gretchen Rubin interviews Dani about unco...

Bonus: In Conversation with Libby Copeland, Pt. 2

15 May 2020

Contributed by Lukas

On part two of Dani’s conversation with Libby Copeland, Dani and Libby discuss the fallout on the other side of a major DNA revelation, and why DNA ...

Bonus: Libby Copeland, Author of The Lost Family, on Identity in the Age of DNA Testing

14 May 2020

Contributed by Lukas

On this special bonus episode of Family Secrets, Dani speaks with Libby Copeland, author and journalist, about the psychological and emotional complex...

Family Secrets Live: In Conversation with Dr. Bessel van der Kolk, Part II

08 May 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Dani and Bessel respond to questions from the audience about trauma, and how art—and writing in particular—can help people heal. Learn more about...

Family Secrets Live: In Conversation with Dr. Bessel van der Kolk

07 May 2020

Contributed by Lukas

In January, Dani hit the road for a series of live conversations with some of her favorite writers, artists, and thinkers. Her first stop: Portsmouth,...

Bug Dust

09 Apr 2020

Contributed by Lukas

For years, Steven Romo just didn’t talk about the bleak landscape of his childhood—not with friends, and certainly not with his colleagues at the ...

Bonus: Stephanie Wittels Wachs, host of “Last Day” on storytelling in the time of Coronavirus

04 Apr 2020

Contributed by Lukas

In this special bonus episode, Dani speaks with Stephanie Wittels Wachs, actress, activist, and co-host of the hit podcast Last Day, which shines a li...

The Red Potion

02 Apr 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Janny Scott grew up on an 800-acre British-style estate outside Philadelphia with a loving, gregarious father who was always the life of the party. Bu...

Fever Coat

26 Mar 2020

Contributed by Lukas

When Axton Betz-Hamilton was in middle school, her family’s mail started going missing. Her parents told her that they’d been the victims of an id...

Bubbe and Zayde and Grandma and Pa

19 Mar 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Growing up, Adam Frankel idolized his father and his father’s father, eventually following in their footsteps to become a successful speechwriter fo...

Cold People

12 Mar 2020

Contributed by Lukas

For most of her young life, Lisa Brennan-Jobs bounced back and forth between two very different homes—that of her mother, who raised Lisa alone for ...

Too Busy to Die

05 Mar 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Addiction breeds denial, in both the addict and his loved ones. And when that addiction comes wrapped in a busy, successful, ambitious package like Ei...

Jeanette

27 Feb 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Emily Bernard never felt close to her judgmental, domineering father, who, for most of her life, denied he’d ever been unfaithful to her mother. It ...

What’s Wrong With Teddy?

20 Feb 2020

Contributed by Lukas

What do you do when you suspect that your own brother is to blame for the seemingly random acts of violence sending shockwaves through the country? Do...

The Mysterious Boot Club

13 Feb 2020

Contributed by Lukas

As a child, Ariana Neumann stumbled upon a strange photo of her father, tucked away in a secret box he kept in his workshop. It was undeniably him, an...

The Lobster Shift

06 Feb 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Even as a young child, Michael Hainey could sense that there was more to the story of his father’s death. But it wasn’t until he stumbled upon a s...

Family Secrets: Season 3 Trailer

30 Jan 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Get ready for more inspiring, provocative, and moving conversations about identity, forgiveness, and the meaning of family, featuring incredible guest...

Bonus: Listener Stories, Episode 17

23 Jan 2020

Contributed by Lukas

In this bonus episode we hear from listeners in the Family Secrets community. To share your secret, call 1-888-SECRET-0. This January, Dani’s taking...

Bonus: Listener Stories, Episode 16

16 Jan 2020

Contributed by Lukas

In this bonus episode we hear from listeners in the Family Secrets community. To share your secret, call 1-888-SECRET-0. This month, Dani’s taking F...

Bonus: An Update from Dani

10 Jan 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Big news, Family Secrets fans: there’s a new season headed your way in just a few weeks (the first episode drops February 6—mark your calendars!) ...

Bonus: Listener Stories, Episode 15

02 Jan 2020

Contributed by Lukas

In this bonus episode we hear from listeners in the Family Secrets community. To share your secret, call 1-888-SECRET-0. This month, Dani’s taking F...

Bonus: Listener Stories, Episode 14

26 Dec 2019

Contributed by Lukas

In this bonus episode we hear from listeners in the Family Secrets community. To share your secret, call 1-888-SECRET-0. This January, Dani’s taking...

Update: Family Secrets on Tour: See Dani in a City Near You!

23 Dec 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Starting January 27, Dani is taking Family Secrets on the road. She’ll be sitting down with some of the writers, podcasters, thinkers, and musicians...

Bonus: Listener Stories, Episode 13

19 Dec 2019

Contributed by Lukas

In this bonus episode we hear from listeners in the Family Secrets community. To share your secret, call 1-888-SECRET-0. This January, Dani’s taking...

Bonus: Listener Stories, Episode 12

13 Dec 2019

Contributed by Lukas

In this bonus episode we hear from listeners in the Family Secrets community. To share your secret, call 1-888-SECRET-0. Learn more about your ad-cho...

Bonus: Listener Stories, Episode 11

05 Dec 2019

Contributed by Lukas

In this bonus episode we hear from listeners in the Family Secrets community. To share your secret, call 1-888-SECRET-0. Learn more about your ad-cho...

Bonus: Thanksgiving Thoughts from Dani

28 Nov 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Dani shares her thoughts, a personal story and well wishes this Thanksgiving. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.co...

Bonus: Listener Stories, Episode 10

21 Nov 2019

Contributed by Lukas

In this bonus episode we hear from listeners in the Family Secrets community. To share your secret, call 1-888-SECRET-0. Learn more about your ad-cho...

Bonus: Listener Stories, Episode 9

14 Nov 2019

Contributed by Lukas

In this bonus episode we hear from listeners in the Family Secrets community. To share your secret, call 1-888-SECRET-0. Learn more about your ad-cho...

Bonus: Listener Stories, Episode 8

07 Nov 2019

Contributed by Lukas

In this bonus episode we hear from listeners in the Family Secrets community. To share your secret, call 1-888-SECRET-0. Learn more about your ad-cho...

Update: Share Your Family Secret

05 Nov 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Thank you for making season two of Family Secrets such an amazing success. If you have a secret you’d like to share, please call 1-888-SECRET-0.  ...

Flying and Crashing

24 Oct 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Kiese grew up in Oxford, Mississippi —the only child of a single mother, a black boy who struggled with weight. His childhood and adolescence were m...

The Confidante

17 Oct 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Imagine a privileged New England family living by the sea, with a glamorous, wild mother who has a long affair with her husband’s best friend, and m...

The Fifth Passenger

10 Oct 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Growing up in suburban New York, Joanna was always aware of two pastel portraits of children she assumed were just part of her parents’ art collecti...