In-depth conversations with the most creative thinkers, respected leaders, and preeminent authors in a wide variety of fields including sports, the arts, business, history, politics, parenting, psychology and medicine. Subscribe for free…
The Podcast
Here is a five minute time-sensitive exercise of imagination. My partner is Yale history professor David Blight. He recently won the Pulitzer Prize for his biography of Frederick Douglass, the abolitionist leader…
Introducing Saru Jayaraman. Millions of Americans caught a glimpse of her at this year’s Golden Globes, where she was Amy Poehler’s guest – recognized for her role in the battle against sexual…
What is your superpower? Is it writing, speaking, communicating with power? It could be if you listen to this conversation with Joseph Romm, author of How To Go Viral and Reach Millions:…
This is the story, and backstory, of a workshop on feminism, led by men, for men, in an all-male prison. The Feminist on Cellblock Y is an immersive and memorable CNN documentary…
This is my conversation with Rachel Held Evans – RHE – from 2012, after the publication of her A Year of Biblical Womanhood, a provocative and entertaining account of her experiment living…
@YahooSports Senior NFL Writer and Hall of Fame Voter Terez Paylor joins me in Atlanta for a Super Bowl seminar and Football 101 combined – making it the perfect prep for those…
Yoka Verdoner was separated from her parents when she was only 8 years old. Now 84, her life story is a window into the trauma that has been inflicted on so many…
A Charlottesville, VA jury today convicted a white supremacist of first-degree murder for killing Heather Heyer. He intentionally drove his car into a crowd of counter-protestors at the “Unite the Right” rally…
America is hungry for the voice of an honorable leader. So Wavemaker brings you the voice of Retired Admiral William McRaven, former Navy SEAL and Commander of all U.S. Special Operations Forces.…
Environmentalists don’t vote. At least not nearly as much as the general population. They have a turnout problem. By Nathaniel Stinnett’s estimate, 10.1 million registered voters who consider climate change or the…
Jane Alexander’s illustrious acting career was launched in 1968 by her breakthrough performance in the Pulitzer Prize winning play (and later movie) The Great White Hope. She then took the political stage…
Standup comic Pete Dominick joins me to dissect Michelle Wolf’s routine at the recent White House Correspondents’ Dinner. Why now? Because this Sunday, May 27th, Wolf’s new series, The Break, debuts on…
Here is Michelle Wolf’s entire performance at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner. Most people have only heard clips. Here is all of it – 19 minutes and roughly 50 jokes – unedited.…
There’s a new surge of military veterans running for Congress. And they’re split about evenly between Democrats and Republicans. Do veterans have a competitive edge over those who have not served in…
Some people recognize potential threats to our democracy before others. My guest, Barbara Simons, is one of those people. 15 years ago, not long after the infamous “hanging chads” threw the Bush…
Introducing former Army Sergeant Matt Martin, author of “I’ve Been Shot In Combat. And As A Veteran, I’m Telling You: Allowing Teachers To Be Armed Is An Asinine Idea.” Since writing it…
Lois Jenson is a historic figure in the battle against sexual harassment – the lead plaintiff in the field’s first class action lawsuit. As one of the first four women miners in…
Astrophysicist Sara Seager joins me for a conversation about her leading role in the search for earth-like planets outside our solar system. When she began her search as a graduate student –…
Mary Koss has been on a 40-year quest for justice – “to understand why women are hurt and how we can stop it.” As a young professor, with a PhD in clinical…
Professor Louise Fitzgerald is a pioneer in sexual harassment research. At this moment, when women who have broken their silence have led to the downfall of so many prominent men, I speak…
This conversation will help make your children (and you, too) better writers. Last time Jack Gantos was on Wavemaker Conversations, he shared his unforgettable journey to a terrifying prison sentence in a…
Author Will Schwalbe is one of the funniest serious readers you’ll ever hear. In our conversation, before a packed house at The Nantucket Book Festival, Will and I talk about his latest…
When Ruth Reichl became the restaurant critic for The New York Times, she learned there was a bounty on her – $1,000 for any worker who recognized this make-or-break critic when she…
New York Times bestselling author Julie Lythcott-Haims says she is “so American it hurts.” Why so much pain in this American success story? How did this daughter of a prominent black physician…
A legendary figure in modern psychoanalysis, and best-selling author, on coping with existential anxiety and using it to increase fulfillment in life.
A legendary figure in modern psychoanalysis, and best-selling author, on coping with existential anxiety and using it to increase fulfillment in life.
6’2” Carey Kauffman, a March Madness veteran of the Duke University Blue Devils, couples her insights from a life in basketball with her experience as the mother of two children born with…
You may be tempted to scream — “don’t do it, Jack!” — at the outset of this podcast. My conversation with author Jack Gantos, at the Nantucket Book Festival, begins with a…
Bob Chapman turned a small, teetering 19th century manufacturing company that served the beer industry, into a 2.5 billion dollar enterprise. He owes his success to a traumatic experience, which forced him…
Former NFL Head Coach Dan Reeves, who led the Atlanta Falcons to their only other Super Bowl (and the Broncos to three) takes us beyond the play-by-play. His 101 on the “silent…
Mediation master William Ury, of Getting to Yes fame, provides an inside account of the the peace deal that ended Colombia’s civil war. The talks began with a high-risk secret move deep in the jungle…
Introducing Cathy Salit — a master of improvisation. Salit started improvising young. When she was only 12, she was so miserable at school, her mother convinced her to drop out and create…
The Sports Gene author, David Epstein, joined me for a conversation that will empower young athletes, their parents, and coaches
Mary Norris tells me she prefers to be called a Prose Goddess. But Comma Queen has stuck. Norris, a copy editor at The New Yorker for more than 30 years, is author…
Backstage with the pianist who has been called “the hottest classical artist on the planet” – Lang Lang. Featuring an emotional appearance by his mom, whose sacrifice launched him on his difficult journey of a thousand miles.
The Wavemaker Parenting Wisdom Tour brings you the compelling personal story of Trinity College squash coach Paul Assaiante. He entered a sport without formal training, and took a second tier team to…
Unforgettable stories about football – and America — from one of the great head coaches in college football and a center in 3 of the first 5 Super Bowls.
Dr. Sanjay Gupta, neurosurgeon & CNN Chief Medical Correspondent, weighs in on over-parenting, the unforgettable chores that shaped his childhood, his transformation from unmotivated to driven high school student, and the legacy…
Jessica Lahey — author of “The Gift of Failure: How the Best Parents Learn to Let Go So Their Children Can Succeed” — joins Michael as he continues to tap into the…
Julie Lythcott-Haims has emerged as a powerful new rudder for parents. As the Dean of Freshmen at Stanford University, she recognized the first signs that overparenting was damaging our kids’ abilities to…
Master mediator William Ury dissects Michelangelo’s 500 year old letter to the Pope, a powerful example of how saying No can lead to a wiser Yes. The letter, recently circulated by the…
The best-selling author’s investigation into the most common regrets shared by people around the world, and how “looking backward moves us forward.”
British Mideast expert Emma Sky went to Iraq in 2003 on a mission to help the Iraqi people. She was greeted by an assassination attempt. And then…
The author of The Dowd Report, which led to the banishment of Pete Rose from baseball, provides an exclusive, behind-the-scenes account of his investigation that concluded baseball’s all-time hit leader gambled heavily…
Well before The Dowd Report that led to the banishment of Pete Rose from baseball, John Dowd, Emory Law School grad, was a Marine, then a Justice Department prosecutor who lead the…
The former MLB Commissioner’s exclusive behind the scenes account of the investigation that led to the banishment of Pete Rose from baseball. Part 3 of The Fay Vincent Sessions, a Wavemaker podcast…
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…
The 8th Commissioner of Major League Baseball discusses the pivotal event in his life: a 4-story fall from his college dorm room window – and his mother’s advice, which reframed his future.
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…
Michael & Dad. By Michael Schulder October 1, 2015 Today, my father would have turned 92. If he were alive, and healthy, he would have been working. On stage. My father,…
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…
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…
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,…
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.…
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…
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…
Beah’s best-selling memoir led a NY Times reviewer to wonder “how anyone comes through such unrelenting ghastliness and horror with his humanity and sanity intact.” This conversation provides some answers.
Schulder speaks with Azar Nafisi, Iranian-American author of the number one New York Times bestseller “Reading Lolita in Tehran” and “Republic of Imagination: America in 3 Books,” in front of a live…
The former First Lady and I discuss the roots of her fierce advocacy for mental health coverage, the opposition to women’s rights that she encountered on Capitol Hill, her full partnership with Jimmy, and more.
In the run-up to the Stanley Cup finals, Schulder pays a visit to hockey maven Stan Fischler. When the 83 year old historian of hockey is not fighting city traffic on his…
Miles O’Brien shares inside stories of his 15 years as CNN’s science, space and aviation correspondent, his passion for piloting, how close he got to flying on a space shuttle, the unusual…
Ben Sollee is a cellist/singer/songwriter whose music defies all categories. His unique sound, which you will hear during this conversation, is influenced by classical, bluegrass, and R&B, and was described by New…
Fellow Parents: May is the month of the inspired college commencement address. But many of us need inspiration for a different age. With college admissions mania bathing entire families with anxiety, I’m…
As the Supreme Court considers whether the Constitution guarantees same-sex couples the right to marry throughout the U.S., Schulder considers a different question. Is there something he and other heterosexual husbands and…
A Christian perspective on the sentencing phase of the trial of Boston Marathon bomber Dzhokhar Tsarnaev. Not the only Christian perspective, of course. But one uniquely articulated by Schulder’s two guests, Mark…
Schulder speaks with The New Yorker’s Evan Osnos. This week Osnos was named a 2015 Pulitzer Prize finalist for his book “The Age of Ambition: Chasing Fortune, Truth and Faith in the…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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,”…
By Michael Schulder March 4, 2015 I am struggling with how to write this introduction to my podcast with Stanford University Psychology Professor Carol Dweck. As a result of my…
A conversation with the author of Mindset – a seminal book on motivation and overcoming the fear of failure.
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…
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…
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…
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…
As I was planning my father’s memorial service for today I called his good friend and fellow comedian Freddie Roman, to arrange for a room at New York’s traditional show business mecca…