Wavemaker Conversations: A Podcast for the Insanely Curious

The Fay Vincent Sessions: Baseball Brains

Former MLB Commish Fay Vincent, an oral historian of the game, shares stories that will help us watch the World Series smarter. Among the stories only Vincent can tell: 1) Two Hall of Famers debating who's dumber, pitchers or hitters? 2) The smartest baseball players and the calculations they make on every play; 3) The backstory of the Negro Leagues; 4) the 2nd African-American player to join the Majors, and the one white player on his team who agreed to play catch with him, changing the game. And more ...

The Fay Vincent Sessions: The Accident

The 8th Commissioner of Major League Baseball, Fay Vincent, discusses the pivotal event in his life: the 4-story fall from his college dorm, which left him paralyzed for months from the chest down; his mother's advice, which guided him from life as a college football player to a life of the mind; & the factors that shaped his successes in law, business, and the pinnacle of the movie industry, where he made a fortune. All this before he became The Commish. Next episode - Vincent's behind the scenes account of the investigation into Pete Rose.

The Ted Kennedy Sessions

What was Ted Kennedy's first case as a young prosecutor? Why did he lose with so much evidence against the defendant? What advice did he get from his brother, John, when he prepared to enter politics? What did he learn from his maternal grandfather, a legendary Boston pol, that could help us all be more effective in our lives? And why was Ted Kennedy so good at building personal relationships in the Senate, even with those who despised his politics? Many answers emerge from the release of the Ted Kennedy Sessions -- the oral history project conducted by the University of Virginia's Miller Center. Schulder's guest, Miller Center Director of Presidential Studies, Barbara Perry, walks us through fascinating moments of 19 in-depth interviews that Senator Kennedy gave from 2005-2007. But first, the episode begins with one of the world's leading mediators, William Ury, weighing in on the massacre in Roseburg, Oregon.

Dr. Irvin Yalom: 50-Thousand Hours of Therapy

Schulder speaks with 84 year old psychiatrist & best-selling author Irvin Yalom about the healing value of staring death in the face, increasing one's fulfillment through "rippling," falling in love v standing in love, humor, and, finally, the essential question: what is the more effective way to cope with existential anxiety: sex or writing? Cameo appearances from Dr. Sanjay Gupta and Carol Dweck.

The #Lesvos Episode

Emergency field director for the International Rescue Committee on the Greek island of Lesvos, Kirk Day, gives Michael Schulder a first hand account of the quickly escalating refugee crisis in Europe. 20 minutes into their conversation Kirk has to cut their talk short to pursue an urgent opportunity to get 6-thousand refugees on 3 ferries.

Fantasy Football For Real Life

A Fantasy Football episode with real life lessons. My guest is Joe Moglia - Head Coach of the Coastal Carolina University Chanticleers football team. Why Joe Moglia? Because after many years struggling to support a family on the small salary of an Assistant Coach, Moglia pivoted, into the business world, and became a hugely successful CEO. He knows how to pick winning teams. He knows how to identify character. The two are connected. Moglia's life story demonstrates how.

Dot Earth Man

Andrew Revkin, of the NY Times Dot Earth blog, captures "the history of our love affair with fossil fuels" with a memorable performance of his song Liberated Carbon. As for breaking news, will President Obama's latest initiatives to battle global warming move the needle? Revkin shares his nuanced take informed by nearly 3 decades of his original reporting. Recorded live, by @NCTV18, before leaders of the Organization of Biological Field Stations, the "NASA of the Earth."

Emerging Authors Rise

Meet three emerging literary stars. Three young authors, three highly acclaimed new books. All have insights for writers and for parents who would love their children to do more reading and writing. Justin St. Germain investigates the life, and violent death, of his mother in his memoir "Son of a Gun." LaShonda Katrice Barnett, historian & student of jazz, channels two path-breaking African-American women in the field of journalism for her novel "Jam on the Vine." Belinda McKeon shares her journey from growing up on a farm in Ireland to becoming the author of two highly acclaimed novels, "Solace" and "Tender," and is thankful the Nuns from her school showed up for her explicit reading.

Re-Introducing Harper Lee

Schulder speaks with Harper Lee biographer Charles Shields about the To Kill A Mockingbird - Go Set A Watchman saga. Shields, author of "Mockingbird: A Portrait of Harper Lee," relays captivating stories of Lee's life including her close friendship with childhood neighbor Truman Capote, her painful relationship with her mother, who suffered symptoms of bipolar disease, the real feelings about race and segregation of her father A.C. Lee, the inspiration for Atticus Finch and the challenge that English teachers now face as a result of the dark, new depiction of Atticus.

The Real Moby Dick (And Other Little Known Chapters from American History)

Michael speaks with best-selling historian Nathaniel Philbrick. Philbrick identified 14 year old boys at the center of two fascinating chapters in American history, including the sinking of the whale ship Essex in 1820 by a huge whale, a true story Herman Melville drew on for Moby Dick. Director Ron Howard has turned the dramatic tale of survival into a major movie, releasing in December. This episode, the back story, and more, live from the Nantucket Book Festival, is ideal listening for the whole family.