Wavemaker Conversations: A Podcast for the Insanely Curious

Calling Candy Crowley

One of America's most esteemed political reporters gives her first in-depth interview since leaving her position as CNN's Chief Political Correspondent. Candy shares with Michael her early impressions of the new campaign season as well as her personal experiences with Hillary, the Bushes, and other major political figures. And she reveals why she enjoyed covering losing candidates more than winning candidates. Of course, Candy Crowley's life has been about more than politics. And so is this Wavemaker Conversation.

College Fraternities: An Inside Look

This is the inside story of life at college fraternities and sororities. In the aftermath of a wave of scandals and the Rolling Stone debacle, Michael Schulder speaks with University of Kentucky Professor Alan DeSantis -- a veritable Fraternity Anthropologist. DeSantis wrote the book Inside Greek U. In addition to the good, he paints a picture of "breeding grounds" for dangerous ideas about gender, race and character. But he still roots for the success of “Greek” life and provides a model for fraternities and sororities to get their houses in order.

The Trevor Noah Episode

The man chosen to replace Jon Stewart on The Daily Show is more than the sum of his tweets. How much more? Joining Michael Schulder to discuss Trevor Noah and the challenges faced by all comedians is standup comic Pete Dominick, Host of the radio show Stand Up With Pete Dominick. Special features: excerpts from Dominick's interview of Noah two years ago and from Director David Paul Meyer's film "You Laugh But It's True," which documents Trevor Noah's struggle to get a one man show off the ground, just before his meteoric rise in the comedy world. How's THAT for timing?

John Urschel: The NFL Mathlete (& His Mom)

My conversation with the only person qualified to use the Twitter handle @MathMeetsFball -- Baltimore Ravens' offensive lineman John Urschel. Urschel is getting major buzz this week after linebacker Chris Borland retired from the NFL to avoid the long-term health risks of football. Urschel weighed in on Derek Jeter's new website The Players' Tribune with a piece called "Why I Play Football." But that's not the question that drove me to call Urschel. What I set out to learn is how a man whose elementary school teachers considered him "mentally challenged" reached such a high level of achievement in sports AND academics. It was his mother. Once John Urschel gets started talking about his mother he has a a hard time stopping -- and it's hard to stop listening to the dramatic details.

Baseball As A Road To God: The Spring Training Episode

With Spring Training in full swing, Schulder goes to the top -- to the President of New York University, John Sexton. Sexton is the author of "Baseball As A Road To God," based on his popular class of the same name. Baseball watched properly, he insists, can help develop skills that enable us to reach a higher spiritual plane. The sport has its saints and sinners. We name names, and debate who deserves to be on the dream lineup. Joining the conversation is fellow believer, former Harvard Law Professor Arthur Miller, now Director of NYU's Tisch Sports Institute. They have provocative advice for baseball's new commissioner. These men are two of the nation's leading educators. So we'll also get their take on today's students.

Dr. Carol Dweck: The Woman Who Teaches Us To Struggle - And Love It

Fellow Parents, Teachers, Coaches: Why do some children avoid tough challenges while others thrive on working through them? Why does failure cause some children to fall apart and others to become more motivated? Psychologist Carol Dweck has unlocked the secrets and shares them here with Michael Schulder. Dr. Dweck is the author of Mindset. Her Ted Talk has been viewed nearly 2 million times. In this podcast, she provides actionable intelligence on how to foster what she calls the Growth Mindset at school, in sports, at work – at any age.

Get Me Out of This Mess. A Conversation With master negotiator William Ury, author of the new book Getting to Yes With Yourself.

Schulder speaks with the man anyone would want on their speed dial, esteemed negotiator William Ury. Ury is co-author of the classic Getting to Yes. His new book, Getting to Yes with Yourself (and Other Worthy Opponents) is about how we often unwittingly sabotage our own interests. Ury shares inside stories from his work with a Brazilian billionaire, Syrian commanders fighting for and against Assad, and families battling over inheritance. Schulder has Ury apply his insights to personal as well as global conflicts, including the struggle to deal with the Islamic State's wave of terrorism.

Does Honesty Pay?

The latest wave of stories about cheating and lying and cutting corners - from the Patriots' deflated footballs to Brian Williams' inflated war story - led my teenage son - who is passionate about fair play - to wonder: Can you still play by the rules and win? I'm seeking answers from two guests who have an international reputation for their work on what makes some people do the right thing while others do the wrong thing. Joining me is one of the deans of social psychology, Stanford Professor Emeritus Philip Zimbardo, who designed the Stanford Prison Experiment of the 1970s and is now building up the Heroic Imagination Project to prime kids to step up when so much is on the line. Also, Duke University's Dan Ariely, whose revealing experiments tempting people to cheat provides a unique take on how people like Brian Williams can embellish a story that becomes a lie which gets cemented into one's life narrative. Despite what they've learned both explain why they are still optimists.

Breaking News on the Brain: From Parkinson's to Parenting

A perspective changing conversation with one of the leaders in the world of brain plasticity -- best selling author Dr. Norman Doidge. His new book, The Brain's Way of Healing, provides the latest insights from the frontiers of brain science on how to better address conditions ranging from Parkinson's Disease, to chronic pain, to anxiety disorders. Doidge is joined by pain medicine leader Dr. Michael Moskowitz, whose own excruciating accident and study of neuroplasticity led him to create new treatments for chronic pain that do not involve drugs. We also learn precisely why vigorous walking is one of the best things you can do for the plasticity of the brain and its high functioning well into old age. And we get insights for parents on how to help children create habits by which brain plasticity works in their favor instead of against them.

How To Watch The Super Bowl Better Than Your Friends.

Michael Schulder speaks with Hall of Fame Super Bowl Champion Linebacker Nick Buoniconti, who, at 5’11”, was almost overlooked in the draft. Former HBO Sports President Ross Greenburg provides a behind the scenes view of the game. And NFL Special Teams veteran Rik Bonness describes his surreal experiences on the field. Listen to this episode and you’ll enter Super Bowl Sunday with the sharpest set of lenses in the room.!