GOOD GOURD! A show about pumpkins!

Oh my gourd, do we want you to meet a man who set a world record for riding his giant pumpkin down the Missouri River! And hold your breath as you hear from two women who won an underwater pumpkin carving contest! And since it’s officially decorative gourd season, meet the author of that McSweene…

When you don't look your age: Life with progeria and cutis laxa

The moment we meet someone – especially for the first time – we're sizing them up. We notice perceived gender, race, and one of the big ones: age. But what happens when you look much older than you actually are? Cécile Gueye is one of only 500 people in the world known to have Cutis Laxa. That's …

Outside the ballot box: Unconventional presidential candidates Paperboy Love Prince and Literally Anybody Else

Tired of seeing the same ol’ politicians in headlines week after week? Maybe you’re exhausted by the same ol’ talking points and posturing. In this episode, we introduce you to two candidates running for president in truly unconventional ways. First, there's Literally Anybody Else (or Mr. Else, i…

Adam Pearson and Crystal Marshall are changing the faces of acting

The entertainment industry includes all kinds of people, but let’s be honest: There is a Hollywood type. So where does that leave actors who don’t fit the mold? Actor Adam Pearson has neurofibromatosis, which causes tumors to grow on his face and upper body. His latest movie is called A Different …

When wild animals become family: Thumbelina the squirrel and Walnut the crane

Would you leave your family, friends, home, and job to move over a thousand miles away to take care of a pet squirrel? Meet two people who did just that for 8 year-old Thumbelina. Then, meet a birdkeeper at the Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute who was chosen by an endangered crane to be …

The urge to steal: Kleptomania and compulsive theft

Some people help others overcome their urge to steal through research and understanding, while others draw from personal experience. Meet a Yale psychiatry professor specializing in impulse control disorders like kleptomania. We'll also hear from a therapist and a coach who were once addicted to s…

More than a bodyguard: Will Geddes on the art of protection

Elite bodyguard and security expert Will Geddes talks about how his childhood prepared him for a 30-year career protecting some of the most high-profile clients in the world.  Will shares surprising stories from the field, and reflections on what it's like when your one job is to make sure your cl…

Birdwatching legend Peter Kaestner's journey to 10,000 birds

You know how sometimes you look outside, see a bird, and think, “Oh, hey! A cardinal! A blue jay! A robin!“ Happens all the time. Now imagine what your life would be like if you traveled the world as part of a lifelong quest to become the first person to see 10,000 bird species. Get to know Pete…

Extreme ironing, cheese rolling, and shin kicking: The world of weird sports

Missing the Olympics? Well, listen to our show about weird sports! Including extreme ironing, where people press their clothes at the top of volcanoes, in caves, even while hanging upside down in trees! And there's cheese rolling, where people chase a cheese wheel which is barrelling down a stee…

Trauma stays in our bodies. Luis Mojica offers ways to release it.

Did you know that food can trigger a trauma response? Somatic educators like Luis Mojica help people feel more connected to their bodies through food, music, and slowing down to feel it all. Hear how he helps people unlock their pain, and how his life as an intersex person informs his understandin…