Wavemaker Conversations

Sometimes my favorite conversations are the ones I never expected to have – encounters made possible by serendipity. I didn’t expect to meet my featured guest, Nurse Betty Long – at least not on this day. But when she appeared, and we started talking, I suspected that because of the difficult work she does – doing street medicine in a mobile van – and because of the humor she brings to it, we would arrive at a place where curiosity meets hope. To follow my conversations with preeminent authors, inspiring leaders and simply fascinating people in a wide variety of fields – as well as my uplifting, surprising and even soul-satisfying random encounters, please subscribe to my Substack newsletter here.

Azar Nafisi, author of the internationally acclaimed memoir Reading Lolita in Tehran, addresses the question: Where do Iranians who have stood up to their ruthless government get their courage? I reached out to Nafisi following Iran’s traditional 40-day mourning period for the thousands of people killed by the ruling clerics’ enforcers during nationwide demonstrations against the regime. It seemed incredible that on the 40th day – after seeing the regime’s use of widespread violence – Iranians would come out yet again. I wanted to know – is there something about that 40-day tradition, that generates courage? Nafisi grew up in Iran’s capital, studied in the U.S. in the 1970s, and returned to her homeland after the revolution – for 18 years – to teach western literature to Iranian college students. Her insights on courage come from her personal experience and from a deep understanding of Iranian and Persian history and culture. We had this conversation three days before the war began. Nafisi’s insights will be highly relevant for a long time to come.

When American figure skating phenom and gold medal favorite Ilia Malinin imploded on the ice at this Winter Olympics, I wanted to discover what we could all learn — and possibly apply to our own lives — from that heartbreaking failure. So I called Noa Kageyama — a veteran performance psychologist on the faculty of the Juilliard School and Cleveland Institute of Music. Why reach out to someone who works with musicians for insights on athletic performance? Because, as you’ll learn in this conversation, the mental training needed to maximize your performance on any stage, or field, or class, or boardroom, have certain things in common — techniques that we can all benefit from when we’re aiming to do our best when it matters most. For more fascinating insights from Noa Kageyama head over to https://bulletproofmusician.com

Actionable intelligence for spouses, parents, teachers, and students - on Valentine's Day and every day - with Nantucket's inspiring middle school librarian Becky Hickman.

35 years ago, Julia Ioffe and her family arrived in the U.S. as refugees from the former Soviet Union, having fled their homeland upon rumors of a planned pogrom against the Jews of Moscow. Julia was only seven. Today, Julia Ioffe — a happy American accident, as she has called her life — has become a go-to journalist for her singular insights on Vladimir Putin and Russia and her reporting on the war in Ukraine and U.S. national security policy. In this conversation with Puck News correspondent Julia Ioffe, recorded August 9, 2024 live at Nantucket’s Dreamland Theatre, we discuss: Ukraine’s surprise offensive inside Russia; Putin’s grip on power — and what it would take to loosen it; Ioffe’s deep dive into Putin’s childhood; the enduring impact of Stalin’s Great Terror on the Russian psyche; Ioffe’s reflections on Alexey Navalny; a show & tell analysis of Putin, on camera, demanding obedience from his top aides; how to curse like a Russian; and, two months before she gave birth to her first child, what Julia Ioffe will tell her son about the world he is entering.

At the end of Michael’s first Wavemaker Conversation with psychiatrist Irvin Yalom, in 2015, Michael extracted a promise: that Dr. Yalom would join him for another conversation after Yalom completed his memoir. Two years later, Dr. Yalom released his memoir, and kept his promise. Irvin Yalom is a highly esteemed psychoanalyst, with a large, devoted following; a Professor Emeritus at Stanford University; and a best-selling author. Among his most influential books is “Staring At The Sun: Overcoming the Terror of Death.” Michael is bringing this conversation with Dr. Yalom and the previous one (entitled 50,000 Hours Of Therapy) out of the Wavemaker archives because he hopes and believes that they will provide fuel for a fulfilling 2026. https://wavemaker.me

Oh, what some people would give to have just one therapy session with Dr. Irvin Yalom. Dr. Yalom is a legendary figure in modern psychotherapy and a best-selling author. Over half a century, he has spent roughly 50,000 hours working with patients, and many more researching, writing, and teaching at Stanford University. During this conversation, he shared with me what he has taught his patients, and what they have taught him, about how to cope with the fear, or terror, of our own mortality — how staring at the inevitability of death can help us live richer lives. We also discuss what he considers to be the value of regret; the power of humor; standing in love versus falling in love; whether sex or writing is the more effective way to deal with existential anxiety; and much more. Yalom was 84 when we had this conversation in 2015. I’ve pulled it out of the Wavemaker archives now, as we approach the new year — a time for empowering reflection. https://wavemaker.me

Lois Jenson’s courage and tenacity have made her a historic figure in the battle against sexual harassment. She was the lead plaintiff in the first class-action sexual harassment lawsuit -- a case that inspired the 2005 movie North Country. I spoke with her in 2018, at the height of the #MeToo movement, for an in-depth Wavemaker Conversation. I’ve decided to repost the conversation now, for historical context, in light of the release of She Said, the new movie about Harvey...

My conversation with Elie Wiesel -- Holocaust survivor, author, and winner of the Nobel Peace Prize -- was recorded in 2013 for the 20th anniversary of the U.S. Holocaust Memorial and Museum. Our wide-ranging conversation includes memories of his childhood village in Hungary, his experience in the Nazi death camps, and his reflections on humor and friendship. The Nobel Committee, when awarding Wiesel the Peace Prize, stated: "Wiesel is a messenger to mankind: his message is one of peace,...

The former Hardball anchor on the upcoming midterms; Trump vs. DeSantis; who to watch if Biden doesn't run; the power of humor in politics; and more … In his recent memoir, This Country, Chris Matthews shares an old rule of politics: the shape of the field decides the winner. I sat down with Matthews this month for a Wavemaker Conversation about the shape of the field as we head into the 2022 midterm elections and look ahead to 2024. We also look back at his life before MSNBC — including...

The latest climate change developments make it feel like we are on a runaway train that will flatten the dreams of our children. With this episode of Wavemaker Conversations, I hope to play a small part in slowing down that train. My guest, Spencer Glendon, is a former Partner at the trillion-dollar investment firm, Wellington Management. His work there centered on topics ignored in the world of finance but with potential for a seismic impact. Twenty years ago, when the Chinese economy...

With the 2022 Stanley Cup playoffs in full swing, I’m bringing one of my favorite sports conversations out of the archives -- my conversation with legendary hockey maven Stanley Fischler. He has written more than 90 books on the sport. The backstory: In 2013 I stumbled upon the thrilling Stanley Cup finals between the Blackhawks and Bruins with my daughter, who was nine at the time. We were riveted. But we couldn't follow the puck. The action was too fast. And she had so many questions,...

In September 2022, The Buxton School, in Williamstown, Massachusetts, is becoming a smartphone-free campus. No smartphones at all. Not for students. Not for teachers. Not for administrators. In this Wavemaker Conversation with Buxton's Director Emeritus, Franny Shuker-Haines, we discuss the tipping point (there was more than one) for this bold leap. For parents, teachers and students who are listening, this may help you assess whether you'd like a 24/7 smartphone-free campus in your future....

In order to help us process the horror being inflicted on Ukraine, and the courage exhibited by its people and president, I have reached out to Kevin Powers. Powers, author of the highly acclaimed war novel, The Yellow Birds, is a veteran of the Iraq War, who has used his powers of prose and poetry to help us feel what is almost beyond our imagination. In this conversation, through his personal stories and reflections, I think he helps inspire us to live a more meaningful, impactful life...

A rare opportunity to hear Dr. Sanjay Gupta unplugged — removed from the rush of breaking news. In my recent conversation with the neurosurgeon and CNN chief medical correspondent, we discuss the latest science on keeping your brain sharp — well into old age; how he weighs risk and reward; the remarkable story of the brain surgery he performed during a sandstorm in Iraq to save the life of a Marine — when the proper tools were not available. We also discuss his latest book on the pandemic -...

Spreading the spirit, and hard-earned wisdom, of Prof. Loretta J. Ross on "Calling In the Calling Out Culture" - her inspiring alternative to canceling.

Searching for New Year's inspiration, I spoke with Daniel Pink about his new book, The Power of Regret: How Looking Backward Moves Us Forward — paired with what legendary psychotherapist Dr. Irvin Yalom told me about how he uses regrets of the past to help people live a more regret-free future. Actionable intelligence for 2022.

A perspective-changing New Year’s conversation with Daniel Pink about his new book, The Power of Regret: How Looking Backward Moves Us Forward — paired with what legendary psychoanalyst Dr. Irvin Yalom told me about how he uses regrets of the past to help people live a more regret-free future.

This is my conversation with Rachel Held Evans – RHE – from 2012, after the publication of her A Year of Biblical Womanhood, a provocative and entertaining account of her experiment living the Bible’s instructions for women as literally as possible. Evans died on May 4th, 2019 at the age of 37. Through her blog, books, and conferences, she built a large following challenging conservative evangelical thought on issues of women in church leadership, LGBTQ inclusion, and more. In our...

This is the story, and backstory, of a workshop on feminism, led by men, for men, in an all-male prison. The Feminist on Cellblock Y is an immersive and memorable CNN documentary shot inside a California state prison. In this episode, we speak with the two inspired journalists behind the doc – CNN’s Emma Lacey-Bordeaux and Cocomotion Pictures founder Contessa Gayles. With a cameo from President Obama, who made news last week on the very subject at the heart of Cellblock Y.