Life Examined

Jonathan Bastian talks with Susan Orlean about our love and relationship with animals. Orlean, staff writer for the New Yorker and acclaimed author of several books, discusses her latest collection of essays, “On Animals,” in which she explores her fascination and curiosity with all creatures, both feathered and four legged, and asks what our interaction with animals tells us about ourselves. 

Host Jonathan Bastian talks with ethnobotanist Dr. Cassandra Quave about the amazing medicinal potential of plants and her global search for natural compounds — long known to traditional healers — that could help save us from the looming crisis of untreatable superbugs. We also hear from Dr. Marion Nestle, New York University professor emeritus of nutrition, food studies, and public health, on the health benefits — both real and fictitious — of nutritional supplements. From probiotics to vitamins, why do we take supplements without any scientific evidence that they do any good?

Host Jonathan Bastian talks with David Whyte about the power of the written and spoken word. Whyte, a poet, philosopher, and speaker, discusses his latest collection of poems, “Still Possible,” in which he continues to explore vulnerability, relationships, and “the conversational nature of reality.”

On this week’s Life Examined, how health organizations and employers are recognizing that workplace burnout is a real and growing problem. In 2019 the World Health Organization officially identified workplace burnout as an “occupational phenomenon.” Today burnout is reaching epidemic proportions and many employees say the pandemic has made the problem worse. Host Jonathan Bastian talks with burnout expert and author of “The Burnout Epidemic”  Jennifer Moss about why overwork has reached epidemic proportions and what employers can do about it. We also hear from Sebastian Cruz, a former hedge fund employee, who says overwork forced him to not only to quit his job but shift careers.

On this week’s Life Examined, host Jonathan Bastian talks with avid outdoor enthusiast Jaqueline L. Scott about how she fell in love with nature and birdwatching, and her efforts to make the outdoors a more welcoming and inviting space for Black people. We also hear from Yale environmental professor and historian Dorceta Taylor about the evolution of the environmental movement and how grassroots organizations, Indigenous communities, and other minorities are shaping the conversation around climate and environmental issues.

Host Jonathan Bastian talks with J.M. Thompson about how running has been a personal voyage of discovery and healing from severe depression. Thompson, a clinical psychologist, is author of “Running Is a Kind of Dreaming: A Memoir,” in which he explores childhood trauma, suicide, and the powerful medicine of ultra running.

This holiday season, as we finally enjoy the ability to gather in person, the question on many people’s minds is how to respond when a family member says they’re not vaccinated. Do we exclude our friends when they refuse to trust vaccines? How hard is it to change someone’s point of view? And what role does courage play when it comes to stepping up and doing the right thing?  Host Jonathan Bastian talks with psychologist and author Tania Israel about opening a dialogue with unvaccinated friends and family members. We also hear from Ryan Holiday, stoic philosopher and author of “Courage is Calling: Fortune Favors the Brave,” who explains that courage isn’t just bravery, but the ability to care about others more than we do ourselves.

On this week’s Life Examined, we explore why rationality matters amidst a time of mass misinformation.  Host Jonathan Bastian talks with Steven Pinker, Harvard psychologist and author of “Rationality: What It Is, Why It Seems Scarce, Why It Matters” about our ability to sort fact from fiction. We also hear from evolutionary biologist David Sloan Wilson about how the human species is evolving to become better caretakers of each other and the planet.

At a time of disconnection and distraction in the world, have we forgotten the importance of listening? Most of us are not shy about sharing our stories or voicing our opinions. But we spend much less time truly taking in what someone else says. How can asking Having better listening skills would help us build better relationships with our friends, families, and coworkers. And asking  thoughtful questions would lead to less confusion and chaos. KCRW learns how to better hear what the world around us is saying. 

Host Jonathan Bastian talks with Harvard psychologist Deirdre Barrett about our collective fascination with dreams and how COVID dreams have changed over the last year. Later, we hear from Dr. Rafael Pelayo, author of  “How to Sleep: The New Science-Based Solutions for Sleeping Through the Night,” about the science of sleep and why getting a good night’s sleep has become so difficult.