Best Nick Thurston Podcasts (2024)

1
adrienne maree brown — On Radical Imagination and Moving Towards Life 1:20:13

10d ago1:20:13

1:20:13

The wonderful civil rights elder Vincent Harding liked to look around the world for what he called "live human signposts" — human beings who embody ways of seeing and becoming and who point the way forward to the world we want to inhabit. And adrienne maree brown, who has inspired worlds of social creativity with her notions of "pleasure activism" …

1
“The End of Poetry” by Ada Limón 1:43

15d ago1:43

1:43

An impassioned plea, a yearning for connection — the poem U.S. Poet Laureate Ada Limón wrote when she says all language failed her. Take in Ada's reading of her piece, “The End of Poetry” — and hear her read more of her work in the On Being episode, “To Be Made Whole.” Ada Limón is the 24th Poet Laureate of the United States. She’s written six book…

1
Atul Gawande — On Mortality and Meaning 1:02:48

16d ago1:02:48

1:02:48

We are strange creatures. It is hard for us to speak about, or let in, the reality of frailty and death — the elemental fact of mortality itself. In this century, western medicine has gradually moved away from its understanding of death as a failure — where care stops with a terminal diagnosis. Hospice has moved, from something rare to something ex…

1
“Ars Poetica #100: I Believe” by Elizabeth Alexander 1:17

22d ago1:17

1:17

Today, a poem with a poignant question to live: “...and are we not of interest to each other?” Carry Elizabeth Alexander’s reading of her poem “Ars Poetica #100: I Believe” with you — and hear Elizabeth read more of her poetry in the On Being episode, “Words That Shimmer.” Elizabeth Alexander is a poet, author, and educator. Since 2018, she has ser…

1
Luis Alberto Urrea — On Our Belonging to Each Other 59:10

23d ago59:10

59:10

We humans have this drive to erect barriers between ourselves and others, Luis Alberto Urrea says, and yet this makes us a little crazy. He is an exuberant, wise, and refreshing companion into the deep meaning and the problem of borders — what they are really about, what we do with them, and what they do to us. The Mexican-American border was as cl…

1
Ross Gay — On the Insistence of Joy 59:05

30d ago59:05

59:05

In our world of so much suffering, it can feel hard or wrong to invoke the word "joy." Yet joy has been one of the most insistent, recurrent rallying cries in almost every life-giving conversation that Krista has had across recent months and years, even and especially with people on the front lines of humanity's struggles. Ross Gay helps illuminate…

1
Janine Benyus and Azita Ardakani Walton — On Nature's Wisdom for Humanity 1:16:20

1M ago1:16:20

1:16:20

In this all-new episode, Krista engages biomimicry pioneer Janine Benyus in a second, urgent conversation, alongside creative biomimicry practitioner Azita Ardakani Walton. Together they trace precise guidance and applied wisdom from the natural world for the civilizational callings before us now. What does nature have to teach us about healing fro…

1
Befriend Your Body: A Compassionate Body Scan 11:16

1M ago11:16

11:16

In a time of stress, uncertainty, and isolation, Christine Runyan turns our attention to what often evades our awareness — the response of our nervous systems. As part of On Being’s 2021 Midwinter Gathering, she offered this brief, practical, gently guided practice as an invitation to befriend your beleaguered body, to “blanket it with a little bit…

1
Christine Runyan — On Healing Our Distressed Nervous Systems 1:01:11

1M ago1:01:11

1:01:11

The years of pandemic and lockdown are still working powerfully on us from the inside. But we have trouble acknowledging this, much less metabolizing it. This conversation with Christine Runyan, which took place in the dark middle of those years, helps make sense of our present of still-unfolding epidemic distress — as individuals, as communities, …

1
“Joy is the Justice (We Give Ourselves)” by J. Drew Lanham 14:26

2M ago14:26

14:26

We are overjoyed to share this heart-stirring performance with you, which transpired when we invited the ornithologist/poet/former On Being guest J. Drew Lanham to offer some poetry at a live On Being event in January 2024. We could not have imagined the lightning in a bottle that unfolded — a live adaptation of the title poem that appears in Drew'…

1
Lyndsey Stonebridge and Lucas Johnson — On Love, Politics, and Violence (Channeling Hannah Arendt) 1:15:26

2M ago1:15:26

1:15:26

Here is a stunning sentence for you, written by Lyndsey Stonebridge, our guest this hour, channeling the 20th-century political thinker and journalist Hannah Arendt: "Loneliness is the bully that coerces us into giving up on democracy." This conversation is a kind of guide to generative shared deliberations we might be having with each other and ou…

1
New From Poetry Unbound: A Series on Conflict and the Human Condition 11:09

2M ago11:09

11:09

A taste of a special mini-season of Poetry Unbound — bringing contemplative curiosity and the life-nurturing tether of poetry to the very present matter of conflict in our world. In this first offering, Pádraig introduces the intriguing idea of poems as teachers and ponders Wisława Szymborska’s “A Word on Statistics," translated by Joanna Trzeciak.…

1
Colette Pichon Battle — On Knowing What We're Called To 1:02:38

2M ago1:02:38

1:02:38

There is an ecological transformation unfolding in the places we love and come from. On a front edge of this reality, which will affect us all, Colette Pichon Battle is a singular model of brilliance and graciousness of mind and spirit and action. And to be with her is to open to the way the stories we tell have blunted us to the courage we’re call…

1
Kate DiCamillo — On Nurturing Capacious Hearts 54:16

2M ago54:16

54:16

In her writing, it is Kate DiCamillo's gift to make bearable the fact that joy and sorrow live so close, side by side, in life as it is (if not as we wish it to be). In this conversation, along with good measures of raucous laughter and a few tears, Kate summons us to hearts "capacious enough to contain the complexities and mysteries of ourselves a…

1
Wisdom, Solace, and Courage for 2024 2:58

2M ago2:58

2:58

A special two-month season of On Being starts May 9. Freshly curated conversations from across the On Being archive. Big new conversations and extra offerings. To be present to the suffering and sorrow of this world from a place of love. To accompany each other in this — and accompany the young. To honor the fragility of being human. To keep our ca…

1
The Boy With the White Hair - Part 11 39:25

6M ago39:25

39:25

Join us for the final episode of The Boy With the White Hair! Aeglas and Thula's time together comes to an end, and in our outer story, the narrator discovers the source of the shadow in front of the house. Moonsong is written, performed, and produced by me, Nick Thurston. If you'd like to get in touch, or see what else is going on, find me at @nic…

1
The Boy With the White Hair - Part 10 33:45

6M ago33:45

33:45

In the overstory, a sudden emergency breaks the spell of the master builder's story, and forces us back into the present. When we return to the world of the past, we are once again reunited with Thula, who must tend to an unexpected house guest. Moonsong is written, performed, and produced by me, Nick Thurston. If you'd like to get in touch, or see…

1
The Boy With the White Hair - Part 9 28:44

7M ago28:44

28:44

In the epic climax of the hunt, Aeglas finally meets the shevarra Khûndu face-to-face. The fight is on! Moonsong is written, performed, and produced by me, Nick Thurston. If you'd like to get in touch, or see what else is going on, find me at @nickontoast or @welcometomoonsong on Instagram or sign up for the newsletter here: http://eepurl.com/hgDs9…

1
The Boy With the White Hair - Part 8 32:16

7M ago32:16

32:16

Certain he knows where the Khûndu's lair is, Aeglas leads a host of knights from Oathgard towards the Haladraich. They are determined to destroy the monster and put an end to the woes of Evenhold. But the frozen hand of winter has been raised against them. On their journey, they meet with ferocious storms, treacherous climbs, and mutiny from within…

1
Nick Cave — Loss, Yearning, Transcendence 1:03:59

8M ago1:03:59

1:03:59

Here are some experiences to which Nick Cave gives voice and song: the "universal condition" of yearning, and of loss; a "spirituality of rigor"; and the transcendent and moral dimensions of what music is about. This Australian musician, writer, and actor first made a name in the wild world of ’80s post-punk and later with Nick Cave and the Bad See…

1
A Word from Krista 2:22

8M ago2:22

2:22

A little musing on this season, the spectacular finale headed your way — and ways to stay connected in the time ahead. Subscribe to the The Pause Find our Starting Points Peruse our Libraries And on YouTube, grab a Poem to Carry in Your PocketBy On Being Studios

1
Sara Hendren — Our Bodies, Aliveness, and the Built World 1:01:26

8M ago1:01:26

1:01:26

Our built world is designed around something called "normal," and yet every single one of our bodies is mysterious, and constantly adapting for better or worse — and always, always changing. This is a fact so ordinary — and yet not something most of us routinely pause to know and to ponder and work with. But Sara Hendren has made it her passion, br…

1
Christiana Figueres — Ecological Hope, and Spiritual Evolution 1:19:41

8M ago1:19:41

1:19:41

The ecological crisis we are standing before is at once civilizational and personal — intimately close to each of us in the places we love and inhabit, and unfolding at a species level. And as much as anyone alive on the planet now, Christiana Figueres has felt the overwhelm of this and stepped into service. She gives voice so eloquently to the gri…

1
Clint Smith — What We Know in the "Marrow of Our Bones" 1:04:22

8M ago1:04:22

1:04:22

This phrase recurs throughout Clint Smith's writing: "in the marrow of our bones." It is an example of how words can hold encrypted wisdom — in this case, the reality that memory and emotion lodge in us physically. Words and phrases have carried this truth forward in time long before we had the science to understand it. Clint Smith is best known fo…

1
“Dance Party” by Clint Smith 2:25

8M ago2:25

2:25

Clint Smith reads his poem, “Dance Party.” This poem is featured in Clint’s On Being conversation with Krista, “What We Know in the ‘Marrow of Our Bones.’” Find more of his poems, along with our full collection of poetry films and readings from two decades of the show, at Experience Poetry. Clint Smith is a staff writer at The Atlantic. His narrati…

1
“Ode to Those First Fifteen Minutes After the Kids Are Finally Asleep” by Clint Smith 1:55

8M ago1:55

1:55

Clint Smith reads his poem, “Ode to Those First Fifteen Minutes After the Kids Are Finally Asleep.” This poem is featured in Clint’s On Being conversation with Krista, “What We Know in the ‘Marrow of Our Bones.’” Find more of his poems, along with our full collection of poetry films and readings from two decades of the show, at Experience Poetry. C…

1
[Extended] Clint Smith with Krista Tippett 1:48:38

8M ago1:48:38

1:48:38

This phrase recurs throughout Clint Smith's writing: "in the marrow of our bones." It is an example of how words can hold encrypted wisdom — in this case, the reality that memory and emotion lodge in us physically. Words and phrases have carried this truth forward in time long before we had the science to understand it. Clint Smith is best known fo…

1
Three Skills for Staying Calm, Sane, and Open in a Chaotic World | Krista interviewed by Dan Harris for Ten Percent Happier 1:05:34

9M ago1:05:34

1:05:34

From Krista: I loved being interviewed by Dan Harris as much as I've ever enjoyed being on the other side of the microphone (as the saying goes). He drew things out of me I didn't know I had to say. And I'm so impressed with him as a human being, and what he's created with Ten Percent Happier. I hope you might enjoy this! Listen to Ten Percent Happ…

1
Latanya Sweeney — On Shaping Technology to Human Purpose 1:01:21

9M ago1:01:21

1:01:21

You may not know Latanya Sweeney's name, but as much as any other single person — and with good humor and grace as well as brilliance — she has led on the frontier of our gradual understanding of how far from anonymous you and I are in almost any database we inhabit, and how far from neutral all the algorithms by which we increasingly navigate our …

1
[Unedited] Latanya Sweeney with Krista Tippett 1:24:48

9M ago1:24:48

1:24:48

You may not know Latanya Sweeney's name, but as much as any other single person — and with good humor and grace as well as brilliance — she has led on the frontier of our gradual understanding of how far from anonymous you and I are in almost any database we inhabit, and how far from neutral all the algorithms by which we increasingly navigate our …

1
The Boy With the White Hair - Part 7 37:51

9M ago37:51

37:51

As the claw of winter tears at Hafnir's weary mind, Aeglas' efforts to find the Khûndu's lair finally bear fruit. But not all are pleased by the discovery. Aeglas and Yellow Mane meet again, and their blood mingles with that of princess Frirla on the flagstones of the greenhouse floor. Frirla reveals the niðid Kalystra's final prophecy. Moonsong is…

1
Matthew Sanford – The Body's Grace 57:19

9M ago57:19

57:19

A wondrous, buried treasure from the 20-year On Being archive, with renowned yoga teacher Matthew Sanford. Be prepared, as you listen to what follows, to take in subtleties and gracefulness you've never before pondered — or tried to feel in yourself — in the interplay between your mind and your body. Matthew has an immensely energetic physical pres…

1
Baratunde Thurston — How to Be a Social Creative 1:09:36

9M ago1:09:36

1:09:36

Baratunde Thurston is a comedian, writer, and media entrepreneur. He has eyes open to the contradictions, strangeness, and beauty of being human. He looks for learning happening even amidst our hardest cultural tangles. And he intertwines all of this, innovatively and searchingly, with his lifelong joy in the natural world. The kaleidoscopic view o…

1
Reid Hoffman — AI, and What It Means to Be (More) Human 1:23:20

9M ago1:23:20

1:23:20

In this season of On Being and those to come, we are going to train the core human questions on the emerging “generative AI.” Beyond the hype and the doom, what is this new technology calling us to as human beings? What is our agency to shape it to human purpose, and how might it bring us — literally — to our senses? This inaugural conversation wit…

1
Kerry Washington — Acting as a Devotional Practice 1:05:17

10M ago1:05:17

1:05:17

“Becoming other people” for a living, as Kerry Washington likes to describe her craft, turns out to be a revelatory lens on the high drama that is the human condition. As a “learning actor,” a kind of actor/anthropologist, she has brought elegance and moral rigor to all kinds of roles: as the uber-glamorous, tough-as-nails Olivia Pope on Scandal; a…

1
Kate Bowler — On Being in a Body 1:00:22

10M ago1:00:22

1:00:22

We love the theologian Kate Bowler's allergy to every platitude and her wisdom and wit about the strange and messy fullness of what it means to be in a human body. She's best known for her 2018 book Everything Happens for a Reason (And Other Lies I've Loved) — a poetic and powerful reflection on learning at age 35 that she had Stage IV colon cancer…

1
Kate Bowler — A Blessing for the Life You Didn't Choose 1:55

10M ago1:55

1:55

This blessing is featured in Kate’s conversation with Krista, “On Being in a Body.” It's published in her book The Lives We Actually Have: 100 Blessings for Imperfect Days. Kate Bowler's beloved books include Everything Happens for a Reason (And Other Lies I’ve Loved) and most recently, The Lives We Actually Have: 100 Blessings for Imperfect Days. …

1
A New Season of On Being Is Coming 1:39

10M ago1:39

1:39

A big conversation to live by starting NEXT WEEK — every Thursday — from September 21. Loss — and love. AI — and the intelligence that lives in our bodies. Kerry Washington, Kate Bowler, Reid Hoffman, Latanya Sweeney, Nick Cave, Baratunde Thurston … and more. Subscribe, tell your friends, and buckle your (metaphorical) seatbelts.…

1
The Boy With the White Hair - Part 6 30:19

10M ago30:19

30:19

At another scene of the Khûndu's violence, Aeglas is ambushed by a trio of half-raven, half-human monsters called cawdruths. Back at Oathgard, Frirla attends to his wounds, and they become lovers. Note to the listeners, this episode contains a semi-explicit sex scene. Moonsong is written, performed, and produced by me, Nick Thurston. If you'd like …

1
The Boy With the White Hair - Part 5 42:12

11M ago42:12

42:12

On the hunt for the Khûndu, Aeglas investigates the scenes of violence left in its wake. He uncovers a troubling pattern. Returning to Oathgard, he delivers his findings to the court of Hafnir. The reception is... mixed. Moonsong is written, performed, and produced by me, Nick Thurston. If you'd like to get in touch, or see what else is going on, f…

1
"Love is still the only revenge. It grows each time the earth is set on fire." 2:19

12M ago2:19

2:19

From Krista: I have been texting this exquisite poem from our archives to my beloveds. Perhaps it will touch you — hold you — as it is touching and holding me. ON ANOTHER PANEL ABOUT CLIMATE, THEY ASK ME TO SELL THE FUTURE AND ALL I'VE GOT IS A LOVE POEM To call the young Pakistani-American poet, Ayisha Siddiqa, a "climate activist" feels too simpl…

1
The Boy With the White Hair - Part 4 44:47

12M ago44:47

44:47

Rejected by Hafnir, Thula returns to the mountains of the Haladraich and begins a terrible transformation. Meanwhile, winter closes its jaws around Evenhold, and a monster makes its first appearance. In the world of the present, our narrator tends to his horse. Moonsong is written, performed, and produced by me, Nick Thurston. If you'd like to get …

1
From Poetry Unbound: Benjamin Gucciardi — The Rungs 16:07

1y ago16:07

16:07

Hello friends, it is a joy to introduce the new season of Poetry Unbound, which is underway. As Krista shares at the top, this episode has everything in it that makes Poetry Unbound such a gift in a noisy podcast world. If you enjoy this episode, subscribe to Poetry Unbound for new episodes every Monday and Friday through July — and stay tuned for …

1
The Boy With the White Hair - Part 3 34:40

1y ago34:40

34:40

When Muladh falls ill with a mysterious disease, Thula must put everything on the line in order to save him. But her search for the cure takes her into the unforgiving terrain of civilization - and her own past. Moonsong is written, performed, and produced by me, Nick Thurston. If you'd like to get in touch, or see what else is going on, find me at…

1
The Boy With the White Hair - Part 2 31:05

1y ago31:05

31:05

A kindly kuragherd living in the remote mountains of the Haladraich is given a gift by the goddess of winter. Meanwhile, back in the Sunnat Hauden, Thane Hafnir searches for redemption and a new lease on life. Moonsong is written, performed, and produced by me, Nick Thurston. If you'd like to get in touch, or see what else is going on, find me at @…

1
The Boy With the White Hair - Part 1 38:53

1y ago38:53

38:53

When a mysterious, white woman appears at the gates of Oathgard in the middle of a blizzard, she is welcomed in according to the ancient rites of guest friendship. Thane Hafnir straightaway proclaims her to be the most beautiful creature in existence, finer even than the goddess of love herself. But such things cannot be said without a cost... Moon…

1
Moonsong Trailer 1:19

1y ago1:19

1:19

With civilization torn apart by cruel monarchs and their endless wars, the virgin wilderness beckons with the promise of a better life. But the dark forests and ancient ruins of Algarond may not be as empty as they seem. What lies beyond the edge of the map? Who will be bold enough to go forth and seek their fortune? From the misty vales of Sirsidr…

1
Patronage and Love: On Being's Becoming 1:40

1y ago1:40

1:40

Pádraig makes an announcement, and we listen to a few lovely moments from the On Being season we've just brought into the world. We're inviting the beautiful humans who gather around On Being to partner in the vitality of the unfolding On Being Project in a new way. Our friend Maria Popova says it daringly, beautifully, and she's given us permissio…

1
Vivek Murthy — To Be a Healer 57:04

1+ y ago57:04

57:04

We need a modicum of vitality to simply be alive in this time. And we're in an enduringly tender place. The mental health crisis that is invoked all around, especially as we look to the young, is one manifestation of the gravity of the post-2020 world. How to name and honor this more openly? How to hold that together with the ways we've been given …

1
Vivek Murthy — A Meditation for Moments of Despair, and To Feel Less Alone 3:04

1+ y ago3:04

3:04

An excerpt from the On Being episode, "To Be a Healer." The extraordinary physician and public servant stilled a raucous room full of storytellers and podcasters with this offering at the 2023 On Air Fest. Vivek Murthy is the 21st Surgeon General of the United States. He also served in this role from 2014 to 2017. He hosts the podcast House Calls w…

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