Kelly Corrigan Wonders

Going Deep with Aliza Pressman on Sane Parenting

02 Jan 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Living in an optimization culture is making parenting much more complicated than it need be. Or so says Dr. Aliza Pressman, author of The Five Princip...

Thanks for Being Here Kelly's note to her producer, partner and idol Tammy

31 Dec 2023

Contributed by Lukas

In honor of our 100th Thanks for Being Here episode, I wrote a love letter to Tammy, whose name you hear at the end of every podcast. She is my trust...

Go To on Telling Someone

29 Dec 2023

Contributed by Lukas

A lovely story about a neighborhood in Baltimore has been circulating this week. Like so many people, I was moved. For today’s very quick “Go To...

Going Deep with Lee C. Camp on Holiday Hope

26 Dec 2023

Contributed by Lukas

“He may die but he’s alive now and we are going to enjoy this moment together.” This is theology professor Lee C. Camp sharing the turning poin...

Thanks For Being Here Julia Ogden's Essay "An Ornament Story"

24 Dec 2023

Contributed by Lukas

This essay has never before been shared outside of Julia Ogden’s family but fortunately for us, she has decided to share it with the Thanks For Bein...

Go To on Everyday Forgiveness

22 Dec 2023

Contributed by Lukas

It’s here: the time of year when we mix it up with family. Good to keep a little forgiveness handy. This episode was made to share. (Replay of Ep ...

Going Deep with Mary Louise Kelly on Parenting Choices

19 Dec 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Mary Louise Kelly (host of NPR’s All Things Considered) has been doing some reflecting. What choices did she make and how do they look now, as her ...

Thanks For Being Here Natalie Silverstein's Mother

17 Dec 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Natalie Silverstein honors the relationship she shared with her mother, who passed away in October of 2021 at the age of 90. Quite often, it is the s...

Go To on How To Get Along

15 Dec 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Confessions and thoughts on all the ways our biases mess up how we think and how that locks us into boring, no-growth positions from the stage of The ...

Going Deep with Pete Stavros on Sharing

12 Dec 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Well, if you need something to help you believe in people’s ability to affect outcomes, if you need a reason for hope that America could be a less u...

Thanks For Being Here Anne Murphy's Essay on Her Father's Final Words

10 Dec 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Anyone who has lost a parent knows that in addition to deep sadness, quite often the loss can bring up many other complicated emotions. It can, howeve...

Go To on Getting What You Want

08 Dec 2023

Contributed by Lukas

With a special nod to every high school senior hearing back from colleges right about now, here are a few thoughts I share every chance I get about ho...

Going Deep with David Brooks on Connection

05 Dec 2023

Contributed by Lukas

This is an episode that will set your heart right. We know that the #1 driver of human happiness across time and culture is meaningful connection to o...

Thanks For Being Here Joan and Doug Smith's Moving Away Letter

03 Dec 2023

Contributed by Lukas

The thing about being the neighbor across the street is that you are always looking out at the home you face. That was a gift for one young family wh...

Go To on Not Repeating The Past

01 Dec 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Ron Shaich, the son of a man who died with a few regrets, started two super successful restaurant chains: Panera and Cava. Today I share a story from...

Going Deep with Arianna Huffington on Thriving

28 Nov 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Arianna Huffington loves her mom, reading, America, adventure and getting to the bottom of things. She has spent a lifetime asking Why and Why Not? ...

Thanks For Being Here Eulogy for 8107 Warren Ave

26 Nov 2023

Contributed by Lukas

As families gather in homes across the country for Thanksgiving, we thought it would be nice to share this heartfelt eulogy Katie Dahm wrote for her c...

Go To on Real Life Goodness

24 Nov 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Every Friday, we share something good and true about the world, something to get your head right as you finish another week and head into some downtim...

Going Deep with Rachel Zoffness on Pain Management

21 Nov 2023

Contributed by Lukas

I have had migraines so bad that I ended up in the ER, so my interest in this episode was personal. Turns out so much of the country is in chronic pa...

Thanks For Being Here The Joy of Funerals

19 Nov 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Kelly shares an excerpt from her friend Alix Strauss’ book, The Joy of Funerals: A Novel in Stories, which has just been reissued in celebration of...

Go To On Celebrating What Really Matters

17 Nov 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Here’s my case for celebrating the litany of accomplishments that a completed college application represents. A special episode to mark the day tha...

Going Deep with Pete Buttigieg on Social Mobility

14 Nov 2023

Contributed by Lukas

He’s good. He’s really good. In particular, Pete Buttigieg is good at making connections between pragmatic stuff like infrastructure and the mos...

Thanks For Being Here Paul's Notes to Charlotte

12 Nov 2023

Contributed by Lukas

A stunningly beautiful eulogy comprised of notes written over many years by Paul Paroff to his friend Chris Stokes’ mother Charlotte. Charlotte was...

Go To on Admitting When You've Been Wrong

10 Nov 2023

Contributed by Lukas

It often takes the perspective of another to help us see things in a new way. This GOTO includes two heart-felt and thoughtful pieces of feedback we ...

Going Deep with Linda Villarosa on Being Seen

07 Nov 2023

Contributed by Lukas

It’s not that common for someone to retain her optimism even as she studies all the ways that health outcomes vary by race. Linda Villarosa, a solut...

Thanks For Being Here George Saunders' Letter to His Editor Andy Ward

05 Nov 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Kelly shares a lovely letter written by George Saunders (author of books such as Lincoln in the Bardo and A Swim in a Pond in the Rain) for his, and K...

Go To on a Conversation with a Widow

03 Nov 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Thoughts on the once-ness of life. With thanks to a woman I talked to at a party in Portland a long time ago and never forgot. To be shared with eve...

Going Deep with Retired Colonel Greg Gadson on Resilience

31 Oct 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Everyone is thinking about war and service. Here’s a conversation with someone who has known many battlefields and paid dearly for his commitment to...

Thanks For Being Here Alec's Love Letter to Christy

29 Oct 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Kelly’s friend Alec Guettel wrote this fabulous love letter to his wife Christy when they were forced to be apart by his work project in London. It...

Go To on the Mindset That Leads to Loveliness

27 Oct 2023

Contributed by Lukas

I had this crazy thing happen one morning trying to get to LAX that I keep reflecting on. Meant to be shared with anyone you think of as one of those...

Going Deep with Ginni Rometty on Purpose

24 Oct 2023

Contributed by Lukas

I loved being with Ginni Rometty. She is full of insight and clearly oriented toward world-positive work. I was also taken with her midwestern charm...

Thanks For Being Here Rabbi Noa Kushner's Essay

22 Oct 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Rabbi Noa Kushner wrote this poignant essay after having welcomed a visiting group of Israeli students, thousands of miles from home, into her home in...

Go To on Choosing Our Mood When We Choose Our Media

20 Oct 2023

Contributed by Lukas

A quick hit on recognizing our greatest single act of agency. Meant to be shared, especially with the younger generations. Please be in touch. Wri...

Going Deep with Matthew Desmond on Fairness

17 Oct 2023

Contributed by Lukas

When my daughter was in high school, she read a Pulitzer prize winning book called Evicted and was blown away by how easy it is to become homeless in ...

Thanks For Being Here from Joan to Her Husband

15 Oct 2023

Contributed by Lukas

A great note from a woman who needed a lot of help from her husband after surgery. The long recuperation offered this long married couple a new way o...

Go To on Finding Common Ground

13 Oct 2023

Contributed by Lukas

You and I both have short lists of people we just cannot bring ourselves to understand. But even in those most strained circumstances, we do have a s...

Going Deep with Gitanjali Rao on Gen Z Ambitions

10 Oct 2023

Contributed by Lukas

I’ve known a few 17 year-olds in my day, I bet you have too. I hadn’t yet met someone so young and already so effective. Gitanjali Rao, Time’s ...

Thanks For Being Here Mary Claire's Poem for her Son Joe

08 Oct 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Mary Claire Sorensen created this moving poem to honor her son Joe who was a Philadelphia sports fan, a volleyball player and coach, a fisherman, a hu...

Go To on Stamina

06 Oct 2023

Contributed by Lukas

The story of how a TV show began…for anyone who is trying to do something hard. (Replay of Ep 37 which originally aired on 4/1/22) Please note: ...

Going Deep with Anna Sale + Anne Quindlen on Misunderstandings

03 Oct 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Kelly finds herself between two Annas -- Anna Quindlen, the Pulitzer Prize winning writer, and Anna Sale, the host of WNYC's popular Death, Sex & Mo...

Thanks For Being Here An Unmodern Love

01 Oct 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Karen McKinney shared her beautiful essay “An Unmodern Love” with us and we’re so grateful that she did. It’s a look at the kind of love she w...

Go To on Interpreting Discomfort

29 Sep 2023

Contributed by Lukas

It can be really hard to interpret the signals our bodies send us. Does stress mean we should run? Does discomfort mean something is going wrong? T...

Going Deep with Rich Roll on Change

26 Sep 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Starting in college and not stopping until long after law school, Rich Roll regularly, deliberately, got black out drunk. He is now a widely respected...

Thanks For Being Here Sherri's Wedding Letter to her Son Colton

24 Sep 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Sherri Coale wrote a deeply-felt “you got this” letter to her son Colton in the days before his wedding. She was certain that if she tried to say...

Go To on How To Talk about Climate

22 Sep 2023

Contributed by Lukas

A bit of insight on word choice and climate conversations, culled from a piece by John Marshall at Potential Energy Coalition. To learn mo...

Going Deep with Mary Louise Kelly on Parenting Choices

19 Sep 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Mary Louise Kelly (host of NPR’s All Things Considered) has been doing some reflecting. What choices did she make and how do they look now, as her ...

Thanks For Being Here For the Love of Marshy

17 Sep 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Shana Moore’s eulogy is a love letter to her very special mom Marcia Livesay McLean, AKA “Marshy”. Getting to grow up with a mom who is there...

Go To Quick Hit with Rainn Wilson on Envy

15 Sep 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Talk about a Go To thought…here is a clip from an on stage conversation with Rainn Wilson about living and dying by comparison. Thank you to the ...

Going Deep with Rainn Wilson on Spirituality

12 Sep 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Rainn Wilson (who you might know as Dwight Schrute) is making a serious call for a spiritual revolution based on joy, acts of service and being honest...

Thanks For Being Here Shelley's College Send-off Letter to Zoe

10 Sep 2023

Contributed by Lukas

When her daughter Zoe was departing for college, Shelley Russell wrote her this gorgeous, poetic (and funny) letter. It honors all that the two shared...

Go To on Grief

08 Sep 2023

Contributed by Lukas

My friend Jennie just lost her friend Katie, which of course makes me think about my friend Liz, who died almost 8 years ago now. To make a bit of se...

Going Deep with Dan Harris

05 Sep 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Dan Harris is a smart, hungry skeptic looking for ideas you can count on in the worst of times, like say when you have a panic attack while you’re a...

Thanks For Being Here A Teacher Invites Us In

03 Sep 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Today’s episode features an anonymous essay submitted by a teacher who works in New York City. This is for all of us who care so deeply but may not...

There's always more than you can know

01 Sep 2023

Contributed by Lukas

How do people come to change their minds? Hint: it’s not because of some novel argument or just the right amount of pressure. Thanks to conversati...

Going Deep with Krista Tippett

29 Aug 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Krista Tippett, informed by decades of inquiry through her super-project, On Being, sits with Kelly to consider what’s in flux, what needs will neve...

Thanks For Being Here Jennifer Wallace's Eulogy for Katie Spikes

27 Aug 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Jennifer Wallace, who was recently a guest on Kelly Corrigan Wonders, shared this lovely eulogy she wrote for her dear friend Katie Spikes. Jennifer ...

GOTO on Hugging and Holding

25 Aug 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Things we know about touch and why it is so important, from my own recent experiences and through this conversation with Gretchen Rubin. To ...

Jennifer Wallace on Mattering in a Modern World

22 Aug 2023

Contributed by Lukas

In large and small ways, mattering is essential. Self esteem depends on our ability to contribute to the lives around us. You may know Jennifer B. Wa...

Thanks For Being Here Nancy Brown's "The Lejeune Family"

20 Aug 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Nancy Brown, a military spouse of 19 years, wrote this loving tribute for her two best deployment buddies. It honors the way the three friends formed...

Thoughts on Barbie and Womanhood

18 Aug 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Food for thought on America Ferrera’s speech at the climax of Barbie, informed by the great Jia Tolentino (a former guest who I found totally fascin...

Double Header: Katie Couric + Neal Katyal

15 Aug 2023

Contributed by Lukas

First up, a conversation with Katie Couric, who has been in the media business for 40 some years now in a variety of roles, who has a really honed per...

Thanks For Being Here Stefanie's "Chicken Soup for the Soul"

13 Aug 2023

Contributed by Lukas

It’s often the little things in life that help us to get through the day: a cup of tea in the morning, gardening, puttering around the house and mov...

Your Child's Bill of Rights

11 Aug 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Play this one on repeat. Share widely. Michelle Icard tells me that kids have rights (okay) and these are they. From Michelle’s book 8 Setback...

Mistakes or The Only Way? with Michelle Icard

08 Aug 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Based on her invaluable playbook for anxious parents everywhere, Michelle Icard thinks with Kelly about mistakes and making sure that rebellions don’...

Thanks For Being Here Lauren's Tribute to her Grandmother

06 Aug 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Lauren Pauls wrote this tribute to honor her beloved grandmother Gigi. It’s a meditation on her grandma’s hands - hands that worked in the garden...

Doing A Daily Accountability Check-In

04 Aug 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Another installment of Kelly’s “Existential Game Show - This is Your Life, What Are You Doing With It?” , recorded at the Aspen Ideas Festival, ...

Emotional Resilience and Vitality with Dr. Samantha Boardman

01 Aug 2023

Contributed by Lukas

When one of her therapy patients said to Dr. Samantha Boardman, “All we ever do is talk about stuff that's going wrong in my life - and we don't tal...

Thanks For Being Here Julia Ogden's Essay "An Ornament Story"

30 Jul 2023

Contributed by Lukas

This essay has never before been shared outside of Julia Ogden’s family but fortunately for us, she has decided to share it with the Thanks For Bein...

Transformational Tough Times

28 Jul 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Kelly continues her “Existential Game Show” recorded live at the Aspen Ideas Festival and puts Braver Angels’ Monica Guzman in the hot seat. Mo...

Thinking Big with Jacqueline Novogratz

25 Jul 2023

Contributed by Lukas

We all agree there is work to be done, smart solution-oriented moves to be made for the benefit of all. But who will do it? Who will walk away from ...

Thanks For Being Here Jack's Eulogy for Peter Samson

23 Jul 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Every town needs someone like Peter Samson - the person who gives his or her all so that kids in the community can have a fun and safe outlet, a place...

Kelly's Existential Game Show with "Fat Ham's" James Ijames

21 Jul 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Kelly moderated a live panel event at the Aspen Ideas Festival with fantastic guests including Miroslav Volf, Monica Guzman, James Ijames, Alexandra R...

Timothy Goodman on Creative Life

18 Jul 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Timothy Goodman has made a great life for himself doing large format art projects like, say, making a basketball court for Kevin Durant, or small form...

Thanks For Being Here Jonathan & Jamie's Pop-Pop George

16 Jul 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Moira O’Connor submitted this 2-part eulogy written and originally read by her nephews Jonathan and Jamie to honor her dad/their grandfather, George...

The Power of Word Choice

14 Jul 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Thanks to a brilliant TED talk by Baratunde Thurston, I’m thinking about how people tell the story of what’s happened. I also reached out to my n...

How a Person Becomes a Therapist

11 Jul 2023

Contributed by Lukas

With the demand for excellent mental health care at its all-time peak, it’s a good thing people like Tracy Defina dared to go back to school — for...

Thanks For Being Here Clare Murphy's Essay "Love is Thicker Than Lake Water"

09 Jul 2023

Contributed by Lukas

High school junior Clare Murphy wrote this touching, personal and evocative essay for a school assignment. It conveys incredible warmth and deep affe...

Mental Health Check on Picking Other over Self

07 Jul 2023

Contributed by Lukas

With our hearts in Ukraine, here’s a story to love about a group of caring people in San Francisco in a time of uncertainty who showed the world how...

Love, Sex and Connection with Dr. Helen Fisher

04 Jul 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Let’s say this: the number one driver of happiness across time and culture is meaningful connection to others. So how do you get it and how do you k...

Thanks For Being Here Stewart Barry's Eulogy for His Dad Walter

02 Jul 2023

Contributed by Lukas

A touching eulogy for Walter Barry, written by his son Stewart (“Bear Bear"). This is a beautiful tale of family bonds, of three sons who loved to ...

Little Things That Create a Big, Beautiful Life

30 Jun 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Sometimes, the only way to figure out what truly makes a life worthwhile is to get out there and “do it”. Yale student Cooper Newsom wrote an ess...

Kelly's Life Worth Living Takeaways

27 Jun 2023

Contributed by Lukas

In this final episode of our Life Worth Living series, Kelly reflects on some of her favorite book club moments with Claire Danes and Kate Bowler and ...

Thanks For Being Here Heather's Essay "My Mom and Three Writers She Loved"

25 Jun 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Today’s Thanks For Being Here was submitted by Heather Hoskeer. It’s a poignant, beautifully-written essay called, “My Mom and Three Writers I ...

Loss and New Beginnings

23 Jun 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Today’s For the Good of the Order is a speech that Kelly gave at Camp Kesem, a very special place that welcomes loss, friendship, sorrow and new beg...

Claire Danes and Kate Bowler Book Clubbing with Kelly Part 3

20 Jun 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Sadly, this is the last conversation with Claire Danes and Kate Bowler about what makes life worth all the trouble, worry and suffering. In this free...

Thanks For Being Here Amy's Dad Harold "Wes" Westlund

18 Jun 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Amy Zuckerman shares a remembrance of her late father Harry “Wes” Westlund. Wes was a special man whose dream of becoming an Air Force fighter pi...

Loss and Growing Up

16 Jun 2023

Contributed by Lukas

In this tender essay, Kelly traces her understanding of death from the day her goldfish died to the moment her father died. For everyone who will be ...

Claire Danes and Kate Bowler Book Clubbing with Kelly Part 2

13 Jun 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Claire Danes, Kate Bowler and I try to figure out how the hell to live lives of real meaning and discovery, how to depersonalize the slings and arrows...

Thanks For Being Here Courtney's Letter for Her Mom's 75th Birthday

11 Jun 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Writer Courtney Martin wrote this loving, humorous tribute to her mother for her 75th birthday. Along with detailing some of her mom’s quirks that ...

Axios Finish Line Reading

09 Jun 2023

Contributed by Lukas

I find the Axios Finish Line newsletter hugely useful. I read it every day without fail. With 2023 graduates in mind, and all the conversations we h...

Claire Danes and Kate Bowler Book Clubbing with Kelly Part 1

06 Jun 2023

Contributed by Lukas

How do the values we inherited clash or complement the cultures we come of age in? How can we stay the right size in the world and in our own minds? ...

Thanks For Being Here Amy + Brandon's Donor Story

04 Jun 2023

Contributed by Lukas

This is the story of an oncologist named Amy who diagnosed herself with leukemia in her own lab and a stem cell donor named Brandon who stepped up to ...

At Least Keep It Real with Yourself

02 Jun 2023

Contributed by Lukas

In a recent high school graduation speech, Kelly shared her take on the things only we know about ourselves and how keeping our internal dialog honest...

What's worth doing? (and other essential questions)

30 May 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Welcome to the Kelly Corrigan Wonders “Life Worth Living” Book Club. This is the opening episode, where Kelly and the authors dig into the key qu...

Thanks For Being Here Keith's Eulogy for his Dad Patrick

28 May 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Keith Romano wrote and delivered this eulogy for his father Patrick Romano, a lover of sports who believed that teamwork was always more important tha...

Listening Better

26 May 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Very specific ideas for participating in great conversation wherever you go. This one is meant to help us all live as learners and connectors, not te...

Carvell Wallace on Understanding and Acceptance

23 May 2023

Contributed by Lukas

How do understanding and approval factor into kindness? Are we only nice to the people we "get"? How can we change the way we think about who is deser...

Thanks For Being Here - Alex Mallonee's Essay About His Mom Joyce

21 May 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Alex Mallonee wrote this meaningful essay: “Things I Learned From My Mother Through the Art We Made Together”. It’s a look at Alex’s beautifu...

How We Become Who We Are

19 May 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Could a single comment from a teacher or a classmate in our youth redefine how we see ourselves and the world forever? Master storyteller Michael Lew...

Steve Kerr and W. Kamau Bell on Speaking Up

16 May 2023

Contributed by Lukas

People say “Stay in your lane” but I don’t buy it. I like people who care about a lot of things, not just winning another NBA championship (I se...