My guest is Aaron Calafato, an award-winning storyteller, narrative designer, and content strategist, for some of the world’s fastest growing companies. His podcast, 7 Minute Stories, is autobiographical and extemporaneous — the man writes nothing down — and has achieved a cult following, reaching more than 30 million people worldwide. When he’s not telling seven-minute stories, he’s also the co-creator, co-producer, and co-host of Glassdoor’s The Lonely Office podcast, which has quickly become a Top 50 Career Podcast.

SC Perot is the perfect guest for these trying times. She’s the author of the USA Today bestselling book Styles of Joy, which prompts readers to examine joy in their own lives. And while the book is about joy, it sprang from a place of deep grief. After leaving her corporate law career, then enduring a divorce, which resulted in losing family, friends, and her dog, and reeling in a post-pandemic world, SC experienced a tidal wave of loss. She found solace in walking and while she walked she listened to the uplifting music of Harry Styles. Before she knew it, she was seeing 17 Harry Styles concerts across five countries in 10 months. SC not only transformed from a Stanford-educated, rule-following corporate lawyer into a bedazzled, boa-wearing fan girl, dancing in a mosh pit with complete strangers, but she also rediscovered her joy — and her creativity — in the process.

Our guest, Barry Dean, is a double threat. Not only is he a writer of No.1 country and pop songs but he's also the CEO of Luci, a company dedicated to creating smart wheelchair technology for individuals with disabilities, like his daughter Catherine. Our conversation is one of the most compelling we've had on the show -- he's a fantastic, funny, and wise storyteller. He talks about his journey from aspiring rock star (at 19 he "ran out of brave") to businessman and shadow artist to songwriter (not starting until his mid-30s) and then CEO in a new-to-him industry where he challenged the entrenched powers-that-be, and helped to create innovative technology that is changing lives. HIs curiosity, creative process, and courage are beyond inspiring.

In this episode, I talk with documentarian Abby Epstein about her creative journey becoming a theater and film director and women’s health advocate. A co-creator of the landmark film, The Business of Being Born, Abby tells honest women’s stories — from periods to menopause and everything in between. She shares her experiences in creating compelling documentaries, the importance of creative partnerships, and the challenges faced when your creativity rocks society's boat. Abby also talks about her new project, Midlife Monologues, which explores the narratives surrounding women in midlife and is sure to start another movement. Both curious and fearless, Abby takes on the status quo and her work is essential to making sure women’s stories are truthfully told.

In this episode, I’ve invited three women on the show who also happen to be my dear friends — they don’t know each other, but I’ve known them for decades. And in this past year, I’ve watched each of them explode with creativity. Carolyn Blank Cary published a cookbook, which became a mini memoir; Beth Huddleston developed an app introducing infants and toddlers to the sounds of languages and music from around the world; and Amy Meyers pivoted from a lifetime of executive recruiting and political consulting and started her own business, Mrs. Meyer’s Etiquette. All of these women are over 60, which on its own is inspirational. But more importantly, they’re using their creativity for connection — to create a world where people are kinder to one another, understand one another, and break bread with one another.

Vince Gill is a music icon, winning armloads of awards over his 50-year musical career, including 22 Grammys, 8 Academy of Country Music Awards, and 18 CMA awards. He’s collaborated with every possible country music great like Dolly Parton and Reba McEntire, but also music legends in other genres like Sting and Barbra Streisand. Along with his unforgettable tenor voice, Vince is an extraordinary guitar player, and has shared the stage with guitar legends like Eric Clapton, Jeff Beck, B. B. King, and Carlos Santana. He’s been playing with his good pal Joe Walsh and the Eagles for the past nine years, stepping in for the late Glenn Frey. But I asked Vince to be on the show because he continues to make courageous choices not only for his career but also for all of us, using his music to make the world a better place. At 68, Vince believes he’s making the best music of his career. No matter where you are in your artistic journey, you will leave this conversation inspired.

Devin Finigan, chef owner of Aragosta at Goose Cove in Maine, is an award-winning chef who never attended culinary school. In our conversation, she shares her unconventional journey into the culinary world, highlighting her passion for cooking, the artistic process behind plating a dish, and the importance of mentorship and travel in her growth as a chef. With unmatched enthusiasm, she discusses the challenges and lessons learned from opening her first restaurant, the importance of nature and seasonal ingredients in her cooking, and her determination to create a unique dining experience. Frankly, Devin could have written the No Time to be Timid Manifesto herself. Prepare to be inspired!

Shannon Cason is a master storyteller -- seen on Snap Judgment, TEDx, and The Moth stages to name a few -- and is the host of the podcast Homemade Stories. In his words, he's also a late bloomer, and with his trademark wit, wisdom, and incredible sense of timing, he shares how the right perspective can turn life's rough patches into life-changing art.

In this episode, we talk to the renowned historian and bestselling author Nell Painter, who left her wildly successful academic career to enter art school at the age of 65 — an experience she documented in her book, Old in Art School, A Memoir of Starting Over, which was named a National Book Critics Circle finalist. We talk about working with constraints, overcoming unfair criticism, healthy creative addictions like yarn and ink, and we even talk about the role of women without children. At 82, Nell shows no signs of slowing down. It’s an episode you don’t want to miss.

Depending on where you were in 2018, you may or may not remember former Nashville mayor Megan Barry’s story. The Washington Post’s headline said, “Megan Barry Resigns as Nashville Mayor, Weeks After Admitting Affair with the Security Chief” and The New York Times declared, “Megan Barry, Nashville Mayor, Pleads Guilty to Theft and Agrees to Resign.” It was a monumental lapse in judgment that played out on the national stage. Before this public reckoning and while she was still in office, Megan lost her only child Max to a drug overdose. So in one year, she lost two of the things she loved the most — her beloved son and her job as the mayor of Nashville. Grief, shame, and resentment nearly destroyed her marriage. But she found her way back with humility, hope, and a fantastic sense of humor. We talk about how writing her memoir “It’s What You Do Next” helped her process her trauma and heal, and the transformative power of creativity.

We all first met Kim as the glowing young bride in the movie “Father of the Bride” with Steve Martin. She’s acted ever since, adding NYTimes bestselling author to her credits with her book “Where The Light Gets In," which chronicles her mother’s battle with dementia. In this episode, we dive into Kim’s own health struggle — losing her voice for nearly two years, an experience that Kim says saved her life. We talk about staying resilient, finding the good in the bad, and tripping on psychedelic mushrooms — a first for this podcast!

We’re launching Season Four this Thursday! To kick it off, I share the unforeseen complications that happened on the way to NYC to celebrate our Signal Award win. Exploding transformers, train trauma bonding, shouting expletives in a public setting, free peanut M&Ms, the love of friends, and the kindness of strangers all make an appearance. As always, what we don’t expect often leads to the most memorable stories!

In this bonus edition, we share some thrilling news! No Time to be Timid is one of eight finalists in the Arts and Culture category of the Signal Awards -- alongside notable shows like Oprah's Super Soul! Please vote for us for the Listener’s Choice award! Voting ends October 17. I also share thoughts on my recent pilgrimage walking a portion of the Camino, particularly how walking and the creative process have the power to transform us. And the words of Mary Oliver make an appearance, too!

During this season in the United States, we’re repeatedly told about how divided we are as a nation, so I thought it was important to tell a few stories about how wonderful people can be. To illustrate the point, I interviewed my husband, Eric Masterson, who is an expert birder, author, and survivor of a catastrophic hang gliding crash four years ago this week. That experience profoundly changed both of us for many reasons, one being the tidal wave of kindness we experienced. And this episode covers more than kindness. We talk about following passions, holding plans loosely, and taking risks. My husband is a lot of things, and timid is not one of them.

I don't talk about politics on my show. I talk about creativity and I interview guests who can help all of us step into our creative selves. But then J.D. Vance started talking about "childless cat ladies," and as a woman without children, I have a problem with that.

R. Eric Thomas is a creative powerhouse. First, he’s masterful on stage not only as a storyteller, but also as the long running host of The Moth StorySlams in Philadelphia. Second, he writes for every possible medium — he’s a television writer for shows airing on Apple TV and FX; an award-winning playwright; and the author of several books, including the national bestsellers Here For It, or How to Save Your Soul in America and his latest book, Congratulations, The Best is Over! Many people first learned about Eric from his daily humor column on Elle.com “Eric Reads the News.” And as of July 1, he’s writing the nationally syndicated advice column “Asking Eric.” Here's the thing: Eric’s incredible career journey started with a Facebook post that went viral. But he's no overnight success. He was able to capitalize on that opportunity because he’d been preparing for years.

My neighbors, the NYTimes bestselling author Sy Montgomery and acclaimed author Howard Mansfield, have been married for 37 years. In that time, they’ve built and sustained a writing life that’s produced about 40 books between them. And even though they’re a unit, they’ve dedicated their lives to separate creative interests. Sy writes on behalf of animals — she’s best known for her books The Good, Good Pig and The National Book Award Finalist, The Soul of an Octopus — and Howard writes about architecture, preservation, and history in his quest to understand the soul of American places. And while they live in the same home, they usually don’t know what project the other one is working on.That’s because they give each other the space, support, and feedback that each other needs to do their best work. In a rare combined media appearance, Sy and Howard share how we can treat the artists in our lives and model how to pursue our own creative efforts.

You know the saying, "bloom where you're planted"? My guest, Nora Fiffer, embodies it. She’s an actor, director, and producer in both theater and film and like me, she lives in rural New Hampshire. She moved here from Chicago about eight years ago, and since she's arrived, she's co-founded the award-winning Firelight Theatre Workshop, which is now in its seventh season; produced two short films using local talent; and is set to release her first feature film, Another Happy Day, this fall.

There are few individuals in the world who can convince people to get out of bed and start dancing at 6:00 am completely sober. Radha Agrawal, the co-founder, CEO and Chief Community architect of Daybreaker, the global morning sober dance and wellness movement, is one of them. And for the past 10 years, a half a million people across 33 cities and five continents have joined her. And here’s the thing. Radha — a social entrepreneur whose mission is to bring more joy and belonging to the world — started out as an investment banker. Believe it or not, there’s a much straighter line between where she started and where she is now than you might think. In our conversation, we talk about the importance of building an intentional community, Daybreak’s upcoming Purple Tour targeting the swing states, and her newest project, The Belong Center.

At 84 years old, Laura Wilson could run circles around most of us. She throws herself into her creative projects — which often take years to complete — with high energy and optimism. She moves quickly, never dallying when pursuing her creative work (a missed opportunity to photograph John Updike still stings). And her work reveals the humanity and stories behind individuals, communities, and events that we rarely see -- cockfighting, cowboys, drug smuggling searches, debutantes, world-famous authors, and reclusive religious groups. In our conversation, we talk about working with famed photographer Richard Avedon, the keys to her decades-long career, and her induction into the National Cowgirl Hall of Fame (at age 79).