Being You

Our guest today is Eric Weiner. He is a former correspondent for NPR and the bestselling author of Geography of Bliss. We talk with him about his second book, Geography of Genius. This is where I could write about his great travel writing, philosophical thoughts, and humor, but I prefer to equate reading one of his book to an experience. Imagine you see a large painting that is askew. You walk by this painting everyday. But upon noticing that it's out of kilter you also notice that you've never seen the painting. And the painting is in your house. It's not that it wasn't there before, you just never stopped to see it. Weiner's writing is fun and thought provoking. To learn more about him, you can visit his website at EricWeinerBooks.com.  

You can make a convincing case that food defines who we are, and often who we are not. We talk about this and much more with food writer and memoirist David Leite about his most recent book, Notes on a Banana: A Memoir of Food, Love and Manic Depression. He's the founder of Leite's Culinaria, which was the first food blog to win a James Beard Award in 2006 and again in 2007. David Leite was also awarded the Julia Child first book award for his cookbook The New Portuguese Table. His articles have appeared in the New York Times, Bon Appétit, Gourmet, Los Angeles Times, among many others. He joins us to talk about his memoir.    Join us next week on The Gluten Free Baking Show podcast (GFbakingshow.com) to learn more about Leite's recipes. 

You can make a convincing case that food defines who we are, and often who we are not. We talk about this and much more with food writer and memoirist David Leite about his most recent book, Notes on a Banana: A Memoir of Food, Love and Manic Depression. He's the founder of Leite's Culinaria, which was the first food blog to win a James Beard Award in 2006 and again in 2007. David Leite was also awarded the Julia Child first book award for his cookbook The New Portuguese Table. His articles have appeared in the New York Times, Bon Appétit, Gourmet, Los Angeles Times, among many others. He joins us to talk about his memoir.    Join us next week on The Gluten Free Baking Show podcast (GFbakingshow.com) to learn more about Leite's recipes. 

We're talking today with bestselling author Rick Hanson about his book Resilient. Dr. Hanson is a therapist. He has a PhD in clinical psychology and a lot of his writing is at the intersection of psychological science, neuroscience, and mindfulness. He shares insights with us about how to manage stress, as well as the origins of it, and what it really takes for most of us to reduce it. Toward the end of the interview we talk about motivation: how it works and how we can refuel.

We're talking today with bestselling author Rick Hanson about his book Resilient. Dr. Hanson is a therapist. He has a PhD in clinical psychology and a lot of his writing is at the intersection of psychological science, neuroscience, and mindfulness. He shares insights with us about how to manage stress, as well as the origins of it, and what it really takes for most of us to reduce it. Toward the end of the interview we talk about motivation: how it works and how we can refuel.

There is something magical about the way some people can push their physical limits. Think about Roger Bannister breaking the four-minute mile in 1954, or Diana Nyad's 103 mile swim from Cuba to Florida, or the countless people who have climbed Everest. Their physical limits impress us but we also know it's not all about the body. So much is influenced by the mind, their motivation, and their shear ability to put themselves on the line. Today we talk about the role the brain plays when it comes to pushing the limits of endurance. Alex Hutchinson is an award-winning journalist and the author of Endure: Mind, Body, and the Curiously Elastic Limits of Human Performance. 

There is something magical about the way some people can push their physical limits. Think about Roger Bannister breaking the four-minute mile in 1954, or Diana Nyad's 103 mile swim from Cuba to Florida, or the countless people who have climbed Everest. Their physical limits impress us but we also know it's not all about the body. So much is influenced by the mind, their motivation, and their shear ability to put themselves on the line. Today we talk about the role the brain plays when it comes to pushing the limits of endurance. Alex Hutchinson is an award-winning journalist and the author of Endure: Mind, Body, and the Curiously Elastic Limits of Human Performance. 

Dr. Rachel Yehuda's is a pioneer in the study of stress, trauma, and epigenetics. She has discovered that trauma survivors can leave biological markers in their offspring's genes. These markers appear to be associated with parents' experience of extreme stress. But this field is relatively new, with more research needing to be done, so today we talk about stress and then delve into the possible theories behind the science, what these theories might mean, and why this kind of biological effect could be a strength. Rachel Yehuda is the Director of the Traumatic Stress Studies Division at the Mount Sinai School of Medicine.

Fariba Nawa is a journalist who covers war, corruption, cultural trends, and human rights. She is drawn to the dire situations that war creates—the victimhood, the violence, and the people who are silenced by their circumstance. Mostly she wants to tell the stories of people who aren't able to share their own. But for her going back to Afghanistan, eventually to live there, had another dimension: she was going home. I ask Fariba questions that we all, at times, wonder about: What does belonging look like to you? Do you feel at home? How have you been shaped by feelings of guilt? Fariba reported on the U.S. War in Afghanistan and researched what became her book: Opium Nation: Child Brides, Drug Lords, and One Woman's Journey Through Afghanistan.

Paula Stone Williams is a pastor and speaks nationally on issues of gender equity, LGBTQ rights, and religion. Her TEDx talk "I've lived as a man & a woman—here's what I learned" has received over 800,000 views. Today we talk with Paula about her search for authenticity, her experience being transgender and, given that she has lived as a woman and a man, what she's observed about gender equity.