Meredith Heller is a poet, singer-songwriter, avid nature lover, and educator with degrees in writing and education. She leads writing workshops online and in person. She also teaches in schools, juvenile detention centers, women’s prisons, and wellness retreats. She is the author of Write a Poem, Save Your Life: A Guide for Teens, Teachers, and Writers of All Ages (New World Publishers 2021) and Writing by Heart: A Poetry Path to Healing and Self-Discovery (New World Library 2024)

Interview Date: 6/14/2024 Tags: Meredith Heller, storytelling, inner listening, writing as an alchemical process, kintsugi, resilience, personal wounds, shame, shaming, we are unique vessels, our story matters, storytelling, fertile darkness, Health & Healing, Personal Transformation, Writing

Michelle Segar, PhD, is an award-winning researcher at the University of Michigan and a health coach. For nearly three decades she has pioneered methods to create sustainable, healthy behavior changes that boost patient health, employee well-being, and gym-membership retention. She advises global organizations on these issues and delivers keynotes and trainings. Her books include No Sweat: How the Simple Science of Motivation Can Bring You a Lifetime of Fitness (Harper Collins Leadership 2015) and The Joy Choice: How to Finally Achieve Lasting Changes in Eating and Exercise (Hachette Go, 2022).

Interview Date: 6/16/2023. Tags: Michelle Segar, sustainability, behavior change, habits, motivation, mindfulness, exercise, eating, self-compassion, flexibility, Health & Healing

Diana McLain Smith, PhD has worked with families, organizations, communities, and in some of America’s most iconic businesses and entrepreneurial nonprofits. She has developed an approach that converts debilitating intergroup conflict into constructive outcomes. This work is known as Leading through Relationships (LTR™). She’s a former partner at the Monitor Group and former chief executive partner at New Profit. Her approach is to educate practitioners to develop the skill for engaging and fact-based dialogues, learning from different perspectives, and partnering across boundaries. Her books include Divide or Conquer: How Great Teams Turn Conflict Into Strength (Portfolio 2008), The Elephant in the Room: How Relationships Make or Break the Success of Leaders and Organizations (Jossey-Bass 2011) and Remaking The Space Between Us: How Citizens Can Work Together To Build A Better Future For All (Ballast Books 2024)

Interview Date: 7/5/2024 Tags: Diana McLain Smith, friendship, George Washington crossing the Delaware, secret dialogues about abortion, dialogue, broadening our perspectives, Braver Angels, Media, Social Change/Politics