Send us a textIn celebration of the Summer Olympics, we're reprising some past episodes featuring guests who have been there! Sue Humphrey says she was a "not very good" athlete growing up--but she loved sports, and she found her niche early: as a teenager she started helping other athletes. She excelled at coaching track and field, and worked her way up to college coaching (experiencing the beginning of Title IX), and eventually the international stage--although the field wasn't ...

Send us a textIn celebration of the Summer Olympics, we're reprising some past episodes featuring guests who have been there! Justin Spring went from tumbling around his neighborhood to later winning NCAA gymnastics titles and eventually earning a place on the 2008 Olympic team. The road getting there had its share of twists and turns (pun intended), including a slew of injuries leading up to the Olympics. Justin shares behind-the-scenes stories of his journey, from the lowe...

Send us a textIn celebration of the Summer Olympics, we're reprising some past episodes featuring guests who have been there! Photographer Jeff Cable has had a front-row seat at the past seven Olympic Games--although his seat is cluttered with cameras, lenses, and laptops. As the photographer for the United States Olympic Committee, Jeff has an all-access pass to any event he chooses. In this episode, he shares: how he edits 2600 images down to 10 in a matter of minutes...

Send us a textInterest in "tiny living" is getting bigger. But what is it, really--what are the benefits, and what do you sacrifice by "going small"? Tiny house enthusiast Laura Lynch shares what inspired her to trade in her 2300-square-foot house for a home about one-fifth that size; the process of downsizing ("do you own your stuff, or does your stuff own you?"); and the wonderfully supportive "tiny" community (of people living in not just small homes, but also vans,...

Send us a textWe're revisiting a popular episode from our archives this week! It's not easy to get to the top of the world. It takes a lot of training and determination, a willingness to endure pain and suffering--and no small amount of luck. Even the most prepared climber can confront a deadly avalanche or fatal turn in the weather.Our guest, Jeff Gottfurcht, was the first person ever to summit the tallest mountain in the world--Mt. Everest--with rheumatoid arthritis. ...

Send us a textLots of people say they “like to travel”... but most probably can’t claim they're “travel addicts.” Karen Gershowitz has earned that title by visiting more than 95 countries–many of them numerous times! She’s worked her career around traveling, and is now a travel writer. She has also published two books about her travels. In this episode Karen shares tales from her adventures and gives tips all travelers can use to have authentic experiences--from taking public transporta...

Send us a textEJ Snyder has spent 206 days in very tough, uncompromising environments, having to create his own shelters, forage for food, and keep warm in the elements--all in the nude. EJ--a.k.a. "Skull Crusher"--is an extreme survivalist, and has appeared six times on the reality television show "Naked and Afraid" (as well as other shows). So are reality shows really as challenging as they look? Do the crews ever help out struggling contestants? EJ shares all the dirt (so to sp...

Send us a textTodd Jones has crashed into walls, been punched in the face, flown through the air, tumbled down stairs, and fallen off high buildings, numerous times--willingly. He is a professional stuntman for movies and television shows. Todd also is a strongman: among other things, he holds a Guinness World Record for "hearting" horseshoes (bending steel with his hands). Think all of this sounds almost impossible? Todd says he's not superhuman--he has simply w...

Send us a textJenell Jones has everything she owns with her at all times, and can travel wherever she chooses (as long as the destination is on this continent!). Jenell is a full-time RV (recreational vehicle) traveler. She spends her life on the road, but Jenell isn't lonely: she runs an RV club for other solo travelers, so they travel "alone, together." In this episode Jenell recounts her transition to the RV life (she didn't even know how to drive an RV when she decided to buy...

Send us a textSilja Paulus spent a year pounding weights in the gym, tailoring what she ate (and often massively restricting calories), and sculpting her body--all for a few short minutes posing in a bikini and high heels in front of a panel of judges. This is the life of a bikini fitness athlete, a form of bodybuilding that requires a particular form of dedication. Silja had to train her body in a variety of ways--from lifting weights and learning to walk "naturally" in 3-4 inch ...

Send us a textEverybody has a superpower--you don't have to be a superhero to have one or to know what it is. Mary Beth Robinson, a "superpower queen," helps us find out what our special talents are, and how we can best use them to help ourselves and other people. In this episode, Mary Beth describes her own gift of intuition, and then uses her unique ability to "tune in" to evaluate Elizabeth. How accurate was she? We reveal everything during the interview; share how ...

Send us a textIt's the holidays! So no full new episode this week. Instead, Elizabeth sat down with her daughters and asked them about their favorite Christmas traditions and what they'll be doing over Winter Break. Next new episode coming in the new year--January 10, 2024!Support the show

Send us a textAt age 10, Rachel Zemach lost her her hearing in an accident. That obviously changed her life--but, she says, becoming deaf was one of her life's greatest gifts. In this episode, Rachel shares her experiences going through the world with and without hearing, and offers advice on how hearing people can help and advocate for deaf people (including words and actions both to use and to avoid--hint: don't assume all deaf people can lip read!). Rachel also offers her...

Send us a textFor most of us, climate change is a heavy topic. Ethan Brown has made it his mission to make environmental issues more approachable and understandable--by using humor. His website and podcast, aptly titled "The Sweaty Penguin," is able to cut through the noise and the doom-and-gloom of the climate conversation with late-night-comedy-style monologues and in-depth conversations with leading global experts on a variety of environmental issues. In this episode, Ethan sha...

Send us a textIn 2008, Celeste Mergens was volunteering at an orphanage in Kenya when she saw an issue that she couldn't ignore, and decided to try to help improve it. Through some trial and error, and lots of listening, humility and determination, she founded Days for Girls, which champions women's health and menstrual equity. Days for Girls has now served 3 million women and girls in 145 countries. In this episode, Celeste shares stories of Days for Girls (including iterat...

Send us a textAndrew Backer decided to enter his first-ever bicycle race--but not just any old competition: the Trans Am Bike Race, a self-supported, ultra-distance ride that takes weeks to complete (21 days, for Andrew). Not only did Andrew do it, and complete the ride (a feat in itself); he was sixth overall, and the first American to finish! In this episode he shares what inspired him to go from weekend rider to racing 4200 miles across 10 states; how he figured out the strateg...

Send us a textWhen Adesuwa Elaiho was a little girl, she pretended to be a contestant on cooking shows; now, she actually is one! Adesuwa is one of the 12 bakers competing on the Food Network's "Halloween Baking Championship." On this episode, she shares the inside scoop about life on the set of a baking reality show--from the time pressure to what happens when your cake falls apart; how she felt about being judged for her bakes, and her nervousness about how she'd be portrayed af...

Send us a textBarbara Legere experienced every parent's ultimate nightmare: her child died. Her son took his own life, after years of struggling with mental health issues and addiction. After an intense period of feeling "in a fog," Barbara started writing, which eventually became a bestselling book, called "Keven's Choice." In this episode, Barbara shares very personal stories about Keven's life as a boy; his challenges with drugs and his time incarcerated; his stints in re...

Send us a textMovies and TV shows often take us behind the scenes of the New York Police Department--but the truth is often stranger than fiction. Vic Ferrari spent 20 memorable years as a member of the NYPD, most of them as a detective. In this episode, he shares stories from his many hours on the job, and on the streets: targeting car thieves; sitting overnight with a just-deceased man; working at Ground Zero on 9/11; and lots of crazy anecdotes too (like how he almost got...

Send us a textMaking a podcast requires a lot more than just sitting in front of a microphone, hitting "record," and talking with a guest--as I've learned over the past few years. To find out what it takes to make a good podcast, and make it grow, I turned to an expert: Colin Gray, the founder and CEO of ThePodcastHost.com. Colin gave me tips and advice that can apply to other podcasters as well--and many of his tips can be used by anyone, in any field: be a good listener, s...