In this special episode, Dr. Murthy sits down with Sara Bareilles, Grammy award-winning singer-songwriter and actress, and Celia Keenan-Bolger, Tony award-winning singer and actress. You may know more about them as performers than you do about their experiences with mental health, but this conversation will change that. 

As two very good friends who are warm, funny, and genuine, this conversation is an intimate portrait of their friendship and its importance to mental health. Their conversation explores questions many of us have on our minds: How do you prioritize friendship when the world demands us to be so productive? What does it mean to show up for one another? And how do you overcome questions of self-worth and find the courage to speak openly about your mental health?

As you listen, we hope you feel their friendship effect, too. Sara Bareilles closes out the episode with a surprise performance.

This episode was recorded LIVE in New York. Special thanks to the 92NY for hosting.

(03:55)    How did Sara Bareilles and Celia Keenan-Bolger meet and become good friends?

(08:33)    How can we make friends and have healthy social lives as we get older?

(18:03)    Is there a difference between the way men and women make friends in middle age?

(25:54)    How do Sara Bareilles and Celia Keenan-Bolger create the space for friendship in a world that’s always asking them to be more productive?

(33:24)    How do Sara Bareilles and Celia Keenan-Bolger balance online activity with real-world friendships?

(44:02)    Where did Sara Bareilles and Celia Keenan-Bolger find the courage and clarity to speak openly about their mental health?

(52:41)    How have Sara Bareilles and Celia Keenan-Bolger dealt with feelings about lack of self-worth when they arise?

(01:02:19)    What are some of Dr. Murthy’s and his guests’ favorite lyrics?

(01:12:52)    A special performance by Sara Bareilles

We’d love to hear from you! Send us a note at ⁠housecalls@hhs.gov⁠ with your feedback & ideas. For more episodes, visit ⁠www.surgeongeneral.gov/housecalls⁠.

Sara Bareilles, Singer-Songwriter & Actress

Instagram: ⁠@sarabareilles⁠

X: ⁠@SaraBareilles⁠

Facebook: ⁠@sarabareilles⁠

Celia Keenan-Bolger, Actress & Singer

Instagram: ⁠@celiakb⁠

About Sara Bareilles and Celia Keenan-Bolger

Sara Bareilles has received three Tony® Award nominations, most recently in 2023 for her performance as ‘The Baker’s Wife’ in Stephen Sondheim and James Lapine’s Into the Woods – three Primetime Emmy® Award nominations and nine GRAMMY® Award nominations. On Broadway, she composed music and lyrics for Waitress, and stepped into the lead role both on Broadway and in the West End. Most recently, she starred in the filmed live-capture of Waitress: The Musical, which ran for two weeks in theatres nationwide in December 2023. Her other musical theater credits include a song on the Tony Award-nominated score for SpongeBob SquarePants and Emmy Award-nominated appearance as Mary Magdalene in NBC's “Jesus Christ Superstar Live.” Bareilles produced original music and executive-produced the musical drama series “Little Voice,” teaming up with Jessie Nelson, J.J. Abrams and Apple. She also plays Dawn Solano on the Emmy-nominated musical comedy series “Girls5eva”, the third season of which premieres in March 2024 on Netflix. 

Celia Keenan-Bolger is an actress and singer. She won the Tony Award for Best Featured Actress in a Play for portraying Scout Finch in To Kill a Mockingbird (2018). She has also been Tony-nominated for her roles in The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee (2005), Peter and the Starcatcher (2012), The Glass Menagerie (2014), and her most recent role in Mother Play (2024). Other credits - Broadway: The Cherry Orchard, Les Misérables. Off-Broadway: The Oldest Boy, Merrily We Roll Along, A Small Fire. Select Film/TV: “The Gilded Age,” “Bull,” “Louie,” “The Good Wife,” “Nurse Jackie,” “Good Behavior,” “Elementary". Tony Award, Outer Critics Circle, three Drama Desk Award wins.