John Dickerson

“People put astronauts on pedestals all the time,” Jeremy Hansen says. “We’re very flawed.” The Artemis II mission specialist opens up to Rachel about the insecurities he felt before his mission around the moon this year – and the challenges the crew had gelling as a team. Jeremy and co-author John Larsen wrote about his experiences in "Earthrise: A Canadian Astronaut's Journey Into Deep Space." Jeremy also tells Rachel about the perspective his journey gave him about humanity and the joy of feeling insignificant.To listen sponsor-free and support the show, sign up for Wild Card+ at plus.npr.org/wildcard See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences.NPR Privacy Policy

Busy Philipps found out she had a rare malignant brain tumor within hours of finding out she’d landed a part in the new CBS drama, “Cupertino.” She’s spent the past few months processing the highs and lows of going through treatment for the tumor while filming a TV show. Busy tells Rachel about why she wanted to do that processing publicly, and also talks about learning to trust her instinct and discovering the joy of sex later than most.See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences.NPR Privacy Policy

Esther Perel’s warning is clear: “We are more and more sleepwalking into isolation.” Her work as a psychotherapist is, in part, an attempt to build connections in a disconnected world. This fall, she's going on tour, gathering strangers, friends, and lovers for an evening of connection and togetherness. She tells Rachel about what she learned while busking in Amsterdam in her youth, and her intimate relationship with dread. To listen sponsor-free, access bonus episodes and support the show, sign up for Wild Card+ at plus.npr.org/wildcardSee pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences.NPR Privacy Policy

London today is very different from the one Zadie Smith grew up in and the one she wrote about in her debut novel “White Teeth.” That is just one of the things Smith is grappling with 26 years after her best-selling book's debut. She talks to Rachel about the difficulty of revisiting the first few pages of "White Teeth," the wisdom only teenagers possess, and fighting despair with crème brûlée.To listen sponsor-free, access bonus episodes and support the show, sign up for Wild Card+ at plus.npr.org/wildcardSee pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences.NPR Privacy Policy

Jesse Eisenberg plays characters who spend a lot of time in their heads grappling with anxiety, fear and insecurity. You can see it in “The Squid and the Whale,” “Zombieland” and “A Real Pain,” which he wrote directed, and starred in. He chats with Rachel about how anxiety plays into his own life, as well as his unique use of ChatGPT, his pro basketball aspirations and the virtues of true boredom.To listen sponsor-free, access bonus episodes and support the show, sign up for Wild Card+ at plus.npr.org/wildcard See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences.NPR Privacy Policy

“I think joy and melancholy have a lot to say to each other,” Pádraig Ó Tuama tells Rachel. In his poetry, he allows that conversation between joy and melancholy to play out as he explores love, grief, and faith. Pádraig's latest poetry collection is called “Love Between Men.” He tells Rachel about why the Irish language is of the earth, and the fear and relief that comes with admitting the truth.To listen sponsor-free and support the show, sign up for Wild Card+ at plus.npr.org/wildcard See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences.NPR Privacy Policy

Trixie Mattel is so many things: a musician, entrepreneur, TV host, and one of the most beloved drag queens out there. But it all began with a deep love of music; her latest EP, "Till Death Do Us Part" is out this fall. Trixie tells Rachel about learning to read people by working at an ice cream shop, life's impermanence, and why the promise of the afterlife steps on the joy of being alive now.To listen sponsor-free and support the show, sign up for Wild Card+ at plus.npr.org/wildcard See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences.NPR Privacy Policy

Willem Dafoe sees acting as a form of service – both to the audience and to his coworkers making a movie. That selfless approach means he’s also on guard for anything that can inflate his ego, including, he tells Rachel, sounding too pompous in interviews. “Don’t let me talk too much!” he jokes with her. They discuss his highly productive year, including his film “Late Fame,” and why he loves putting the animals on his farm to bed every night.See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences.NPR Privacy Policy

John Dickerson made a name for himself as an anchor at CBS News. Last year, he left the world of broadcast news to pursue stories that put his values of generosity, curiosity and integrity at the core of his work. He talks to Rachel about remembering his own mortality and forging his own independent path in the world of journalism.To listen sponsor-free and support the show, sign up for Wild Card+ at plus.npr.org/wildcard See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences.NPR Privacy Policy

“How am I complicit in not getting what I say that I want?” This is the question Gillian Anderson wants you to ask yourself. She has read many accounts from women detailing their sexual desires and disappointments, and she is sharing their stories with the world, a second time. Her newest book is called “More: Sexual Fantasies by Anonymous.”See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences.NPR Privacy Policy