A baby’s hot car death, a mother’s grief, and the brain science behind these tragedies

Stephanie Salvilla so deeply loved - still loves - her baby boy, Gannon. In July 2009, after a week of disrupted routines and sleepless nights, her brain went on autopilot. She dropped off her older child, drove to work, and unknowingly left 5-month-old Gannon in the car. He died. In this deeply …

It all adds up: The joy of micro-philanthropy

When you hear “philanthropy,” you might think of millionaires, black-tie galas, or buildings named after donors. But what if you could be a philanthropist without being wealthy? In this episode, you’ll meet people who donate small amounts to hundreds of places, hand out cash on city streets, and s…

Innocent, convicted, exonerated: James Tillman, 20 years after getting free

James Tillman remembers the smell of steak and onions cooking at his mother’s house on the day police came for him. He thought he’d be back soon. Instead, he spent a total of 18½ years incarcerated for a crime he did not commit. In 2006, with the help of the Connecticut Innocence Project, DNA evi…

Astronaut artists: Painting, quilting, and playing Bowie aboard the ISS

The International Space Station was designed for science, research, and survival. But astronauts turned it into a music studio, an art studio, and a sewing room.  Former ISS commander and musician, Chris Hadfield, astronaut-painter Nicole Stott, and astronaut-quilter Karen Nyberg take us inside th…

Bigfoot and the Loch Ness Monster: The hunt for wonder

What if the real mystery isn’t Bigfoot or Nessie, but the people who devote their lives to searching for them?  Chion talks with Mike Wanders, who spent a year traveling through legendary Bigfoot country, and Steve Feltham, who has spent decades on the shore of Loch Ness.  What keeps a person ret…

I saw it coming! When premonitions come true

For the past two years, at the end of interviews for Audacious, host Chion Wolf has been asking guests one question: have you ever had a dream or premonition that came true? Twenty-three guests describe vivid dreams, sudden urges, eerie intuitions, and moments of certainty that later proved accur…

The Great World Race and the Barkley Marathons: What extreme races reveal about us

Some people sign up for a 5K. Some people sign up for a race with a secret start time, no marked course, and books hidden in the woods. Or seven marathons on seven continents in seven days.  We have questions. Meet Jared Campbell, the only person ever to finish the Barkley Marathons four times - …

Paper trails: A viral book list and a wife’s secret thoughts revealed

What can a handwritten record reveal after someone is gone? In this episode, we follow two very different paper trails.  Marci Pelzer shares the 109-page list her father kept of more than 3,500 books he read over six decades. After going viral, his private habit became a public window into his lif…

Inside the Mascot: The Phillie Phanatic, a Yard Goat, and a mascot maker

Mascots: They’re furry, funny, and just a little funky. But what's actually going on in there? Tom Burgoyne shares what it’s been like to embody the Phillie Phanatic for over three decades. Mikaela Higgins reveals how her company became a giant in the world of mascot-makers, designing icons from …

Audacious Live! Show & Tell in Winsted: From movie props to prophylactics

Taxidermied dogs. A CIA agent's hat. A perfume that made strangers on elevators lose their composure. This is what happens when you pull names from a vase at a brewery and say: show us something you love, and tell us why. Our fourth live Show and Tell at Little Red Barn Brewers in Winsted, Connec…