Kelly Corrigan Wonders

Ages ago, M Scott Peck (of The Road Less Traveled) studied success (personal and professional) and was surprised to discover that all the people in his study had one thing in common: they all report the exact same “most important” thing. As I sink into the reality of an empty nest, I felt the need to remind myself that it is not my children’s job (nor is it Edward’s) to make me happy. Hope you find it useful and worth sharing and of course, come visit me on Instagram @kellycorrigan to give feedback. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Kelly listens in tears as long time death row inmate Anthony Ray Hinton tells her the best story she's ever heard. With thanks to listeners for voting and Bryan Stevenson at the Equal Justice Initiative for introducing us to Mr. Hinton. Please share widely. This one will heal us. Other 2021 listener favorites mentioned in this episode include BJ Miller on Losing the Ones We Love and Anna Quindlen & Anna Sale on Misunderstandings: Finding Clarity in Retrospect. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

A lovely story about a neighborhood in Baltimore has been circulating this week. Like so many people, I was moved. For today’s very quick GOTO, I wanted to underline one unusual choice that made all this beauty possible: the minute Kim Morton decided to say something real. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Kelly talks with a favorite writer: the kind, wise, funny and wicked smart George Saunders. They go deep on ignoring the persistent whispering of our tricky egos and work through the ongoing challenge of returning ourselves to a state of wonder and empathy. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

For anyone who finds themselves going to war with reality…this one is for you. A deep dive into where we get our expectations of consistency and resolution. Share with your pals. Podcasts make the perfect fodder for friendship. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Jen Hatmaker was famously married with children until she discovered she wasn’t. Chosen by producer Tammy Stedman as her favorite conversation of Year One, here’s Kelly and her friend Jen talking candidly about shock, tangled up losses of all kinds (financial, emotional security, sense of identity, futures you were counting on…) and the things you learn on the bounce back. This episode features the poem, “The Women Who Walk Us Home” by poet Kate Baer. If you love listening to Jen, you might also like hearing from Cecily Strong. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

For Liz Laats, who died 6 years ago today. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Talking to Judy Woodruff about the things she learned from her son, Jeffrey, talking to Ai-jen Poo about all the nannies she supports, took me right back to some weirdly lovely moments with Greenie. This is a short piece to share with anybody you know who is taking care of someone. It’s hard work made a litle bit easier by being recognized. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

After a year of conversations, it’s time to reflect on our favorites. We go behind the scenes with the team to surface the episodes that have moved us, changed us and sustained us during this abjectly crappy time in American life. Founding producer Susan George tells Kelly her top 3 picks, ending with her #1: writer, thinker, humanist Johann Hari. Susan mentions: Episode 37 Amanda Ripley on Personal and Global Conflict and Episode 39 Carvell Wallace on Understanding and Acceptance as well as Johann Hari’s book Lost Connections and Andrew Sullivan’s book Virtually Normal: An Argument about Homosexuality. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Here’s a cool thing: some listeners asked me to share my essay on forgiveness in a stand alone piece so they could send it to friends and family who had been forgiving with them over the years like an audio thank you card. So, by request, I’m sharing the uncut (and actually expanded) version of the piece I wrote first for the podcast and then for The New York Times with thanks to Rabbi Michael Lezak, Richard Enright PhD and Anne Lamott. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices