What It Takes®

Lee Berger has made two extraordinary scientific breakthroughs that are transforming our understanding of human evolution. Berger is a trailblazing paleoanthropologist. His most recent discovery involved a dramatic expedition through a 7-inch tunnel, deep inside the chamber of a South African cave. On the floor were thousands of bones, belonging to an unknown species of human relative that Berger has named “Homo naledi.” Berger explains why he believes that Homo naledi was intentionally disposing of its dead (a practice thought to be exclusively human), and he discusses his lifelong passion for adventure.(c ) American Academy of Achievement 2016

Desmond Tutu was the moral force that helped bring down Apartheid in South Africa. As a young priest, he was not very political, despite the fact that he’d grown up under the most brutal form of segregation. But his theology evolved, he says, and he realized it was a divine calling to fight for justice. In this episode you’ll hear Archbishop Tutu describe his personal, spiritual and political journey -- including the Nobel Peace Prize and chairmanship of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission. You’ll also hear his passionate explanation of why humans are essentially good, no matter how often it may seem to the contrary.(c ) American Academy of Achievement 2015

George Lucas’s only dream as a teenager was to race cars, but he went on to create the most popular films in motion picture history. Along the way, while writing and directing Star Wars, Indiana Jones and American Graffiti, he learned life-changing lessons about humility, generosity, and the inestimable value of friendship…. as well as the secret to happiness. A not-too-subtle hint here: it has nothing to do with fame and fortune.(c ) American Academy of Achievement 2015

"There are some things in life you control. I don't know that you control the sweeping hands of destiny." Admiral William "Bill" McRaven's destiny was to plan and oversee the raid that killed Osama Bin Laden. True, he may not have controlled the historical moment, but his intensive training and vast experience as a Navy Seal and a commander enabled him to carry out the precision operation and change history. In this episode you'll hear about what it means to be in Special Ops, but you'll also learn why the former Admiral - now Chancellor of the University of Texas - believes that sometimes it's the little things you do in life that may change the world the most.(c ) American Academy of Achievement 2015

James Michener was born to tell stories. He was one of the most popular and best-selling American novelists of all time… able to merge equal parts fiction, history, geography and culture into a perfect, page-turning blend. But when you hear Michener’s voice in this episode, you’ll realize his enormous talent for storytelling was not limited to the page. He is sure to win you over in this 1991 interview, recorded when he was 85 years old and was looking back on his own dramatic life story. He talks about the unlikely approach he took to overcoming considerable obstacles, and about his very first venture into writing fiction, when he was stationed on an island in the Pacific during World War II. The book that emerged from that experience was "Tales of the South Pacific," which won him a Pulitzer, and later became the Broadway hit and movie: “South Pacific.” Michener also describes what he calls some of the “differential experiences” in his life, like the very moment he decided he would live his life as if he were a great man. And he extols all of us listening to look out for unexpected opportunities and grab them.(c ) American Academy of Achievement 2015

Coach K, as Mike Krzyzewski is best known, has more wins than any other men's basketball coach in the NCAA. He’s placed his team - the Duke University Blue Devils - in five consecutive Final Fours, won five national championships, and is the first coach in the history of NCAA Division 1 men’s basketball to win 1,000 games. He also has three Gold Medals under his belt, as coach of the USA Men’s National Team.In his 30 years with the Blue Devils, Coach K has proven he has a winning recipe for leadership and inspiration, and that starts, as he says in this episode, with relationships. It’s a talent he’s honed since he was a kid, growing up in a working class part of Chicago, where there were no little leagues. Whenever groups of kids gathered on the basketball courts in his neighborhood, he says: “Somebody had to organize it, and it was always me."Music "Going Higher" from Bensound.com(c ) American Academy of Achievement 2015

BB King began life as a humble Mississippi cotton farmer, and ended up one of the most influential guitarists and singers of the past century. Jimi Hendrix, Eric Clapton, Carlos Santana, Bonnie Raitt, The Rolling Stones and many others are among his disciples. During his lifetime he was celebrated by presidents, kings & queens - and declared a national treasure. The interview you’ll hear in this episode was recorded at the 2004 Academy of Achievement Summit in Chicago, and includes stories about King’s prowess on a cotton field as well his awakening to the racial injustice all around him. He recalls seeing the bodies of people who’d been lynched… and years later, the feeling he had the first time he arrived to play before an adoring crowd of white fans. (c ) American Academy of Achievement 2015

Benazir Bhutto was assassinated in 2007, just after she returned from exile in the hopes of becoming Prime Minister of Pakistan for the third time. She had held the position for the first time in the 1980’s, and then again in the 90’s. When she was still in exile, unsure whether she would ever return to Pakistan to run again, Bhutto sat down with the Academy of Achievement for a long and candid interview. In this episode of What It Takes, you’ll hear the highlights of that conversation. She describes how her childhood fed her belief in democracy and women’s rights, as well as her abhorrence of violence and poverty. She talks openly about the failings of her leadership when she was Prime Minister and the lessons they taught her. It is haunting to hear Benazir Bhutto’s profound words here and know that Pakistan might have been on a different course were she still alive.“I feel that society is like a canvas, and that if you get into office you're given an opportunity to paint it. And it's up to you whether you make a good picture or whether you make a bad picture.”Production music "The Long Goodbye" by John Pazdanccmixter.org/files/flatwound/14476 CC Attribution(c ) American Academy of Achievement 2015

Before Jonas Salk created the Polio vaccine, thousands of children died every year or were left paralyzed by the virus (adults too). In 1952 alone, there were 58,000 cases in the United States. When news of the discovery was made public on April 12, 1955, Jonas Salk was hailed as a miracle worker. He further endeared himself to the public by refusing to patent the vaccine. He had no desire to profit personally from the discovery, but merely wished to see the vaccine disseminated as widely as possible. The interview with Dr. Salk featured in this episode was recorded in 1991. In it, Salk talks about being the child of uneducated immigrants, and carving his own path to medical school and eventually virology -- a specialty that didn't exist when he began as a researcher. He discusses the anti-semitic quotas he had to overcome, as well as the doubt and scorn of many of his peers. But he also describes the transformation and relief his polio vaccine brought to the world.(c ) American Academy of Achievement 2015

Oprah Winfrey’s career in broadcasting started when she won Nashville’s Miss Fire Prevention Contest. She was 17.Part Two of our Oprah conversation focuses on Oprah’s life in media. It was too hard to fit everything fascinating the Queen of Talk had to say into one episode! Here, she describes the reasons she was terrible at news reporting and terrific at talk show hosting. She also talks about how she stopped imitating Barbara Walters and developed her own voice, how she willed herself into the acting role of a lifetime, and how the key to success in her life has been trusting her instincts.(c ) American Academy of Achievement 2015