Alive with Steve Burns
Alive with Steve Burns
There are a thousand podcasts you can listen to. This one listens back. Alive with Steve Burns continues the conversation you began all those years ago. Back then it was letters and numbers and graham crackers. Now it’s death, sex, taxes, and all the big, messy questions of being alive. Why does money stress us out? Is the American dream dead? What’s the future of truth? Each week, a new guest d…Social links:
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Listen Again: Adam Savage on Critical Thinking and Truth in a Post-Truth World
Adam Savage sits down with Steve to discuss the future of facts, the scientific method, busting myths, and he gives us a peek inside his legendary workshop. Adam Savage is a veteran special-effects artist and maker whose early film work led him to co-host MythBusters, where his blend of engine…
47:00
The Big Mistake We Make About Depression
Is depression actually increasing or are we misunderstanding what it really is? Steve Burns sits down with psychiatrist and bestselling author Dr. Jessi Gold to unpack why depression is often confused with everyday sadness, burnout, or stress. Is social media and modern life shaping the way we …
52:38
Why More People Are Living Alone Than Ever Before
Nearly 30% of households in the United States are now single-person homes. In this episode, Steve Burns talks with NYU sociologist Eric Klinenberg about why more people are living alone than ever before - and what that shift means for relationships, happiness, and society. From the psychology o…
52:10
Behind the Blue Curtain: A Peek Into the Making of Blue’s Clues and Its legacy
Angela Santomero and Traci Paige Johnson, the creative forces behind Blue’s Clues, join Steve Burns for a 30-year reunion that goes far beyond nostalgia. They go deep behind the scenes to share never before heard stories. Why did they cast Steve? How the show almost didn’t make it to air. …
1:05:09
Malala Yousafzai on Being “Malala”
Malala Yousafzai joins Steve Burns for an intimate, wide-ranging conversation about surviving the Taliban, winning the Nobel Peace Prize at 17, and growing up under a global spotlight as “the bravest girl in the world.” Malala also opens up about college life, falling in love, online scrutiny, pan…
49:07
Bill Nye on Facts, Falsehoods, and the Scientific Method
The legendary Bill Nye joins Steve Burns for an honest, fun, and - occasionally unsettling - conversation about one deceptively simple question: how do people decide what’s true? Nye breaks down why intellectual shortcuts are so tempting, why conspiracy thinking spreads so easily, and why the scien…
44:38
Why is America Uniquely Obsessed with Guns? with Stephen Gutowski
*** DON’T FORGET TO SUBSCRIBE AND BECOME A PART OF THE ALIVE FAMILY*** In this episode of Alive with Steve Burns, Steve sits down with journalist and firearms expert Stephen Gutowski for a calm, clear-eyed conversation about how guns came to occupy such a powerful place in American life and identi…
37:40
Listen Again: Keeping It Unapologetically Real with Jamie Lee Curtis
[Original air date: September 17, 2025] Steve and Jamie discuss what it means to be real and be human in a world of manufactured authenticity. Jamie Lee Curtis is an actress, producer, and children’s author. She has won numerous awards (Academy Award, BAFTA, Primetime Emmy, among others) and is co…
44:14
End-of-Life Planning: What No One Tells You Until It’s Too Late with Alua Arthur
In this episode, Steven talks with death doula Alua Arthur about how to prepare for the end of life before it becomes an emergency, and why doing so is one of the most generous things you can do for the people you love. They walk through what end-of-life planning actually entails: wills, advanc…
47:39
The Masculinity Crisis: Why Men Are Struggling and What Masculinity Should Mean Now with Richard Reeves
** DON’T FORGET TO SUBSCRIBE NOW** What does masculinity actually mean in a world where the old rules no longer seem to apply? Social scientist Richard Reeves joins the show for a clear-eyed, data-driven conversation about why so many men feel untethered - and why the loudest online answer…
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