Duologue with Leslie Heaney

Latest Episodes:

The Drug In Our Pocket: What Smartphones Are Doing to Our Kids, with Anne Sundberg Oct 14, 2026

Show notes

Smartphones were designed to connect us, so why are so many kids and teens more anxious, distracted, and lonely than ever? I sat down with the team behind The Drug In Our Pocket, a new documentary about how smartphones and social media have reshaped childhood, adolescence, and teen mental health. Director and producer Anne Sundberg, producer Beth Kojima, co-founder of GTY Productions, and Kathy Thomas, whose daughter Karina shares her story in the film, joined me in New York just before its world premiere at the Hamptons International Film Festival to talk about screen time, attention, digital wellness, and what parents can actually do about the phone in every kid’s pocket.

We get into what the research is showing about our kids’ attention and learning, Karina’s experience and why having one trusted adult to turn to can change everything, what the court cases against Meta and other platforms have revealed about how these products are designed, what other countries are doing to protect young people, and the small, doable changes the filmmakers hope every family will try.

Chapters

(00:00:00) Introduction

(00:01:40) Why they made The Drug In Our Pocket

(00:05:40) The numbers: kids, phones, and 30 years on a device

(00:09:01) Phones in schools and what's happening to learning

(00:12:04) Karina's story

(00:15:00) Why every kid needs someone to turn to

(00:18:51) Pick three: small changes with a big impact

(00:21:00) What the court cases against Meta are revealing

(00:32:57) Why it's so hard to put the phone down

(00:34:20) Dopamine, multitasking, and attention as a muscle

(00:37:20) Why kids are happier after a digital detox

(00:41:43) The organizations and resources behind the film

(00:44:10) What other countries are doing to protect kids

(00:48:26) What we can all do at home

(00:51:14) Takeaways for parents

(00:55:10) Where to see the film

Thanks so much for listening! If you loved this conversation, please rate, review, and subscribe on Apple Podcasts or Spotify, it really does help other listeners find the show. For more from Leslie, including exclusive essays and behind-the-scenes takes on every episode, subscribe to the Duologue Substack. https://duologuediaries.substack.com/

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Resources

You can find the film’s ten recommendations and upcoming screenings at druginourpocket.com.

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What Belle Burden’s “Strangers” Teaches Us About Money and Marriage, with Lacy Garcia Oct 07, 2026

Show notes

Belle Burden’s memoir Strangers has become the book of the year, and one of its biggest wake-up calls is how little Belle, an Ivy League–educated corporate attorney, knew about her own family’s finances. I asked Lacy Garcia, founder of Willow, to come back on Duologue to talk about why that experience is so common, even for smart, capable women, and what every one of us can do about it.

We get into the numbers behind women and financial confidence, how to prepare teens and young twentysomethings with healthy money habits that will carry them into their marriages and partnerships, why talking about money before and during marriage isn’t unromantic, how a prenup can be a framework for honest conversations, and the questions you should be asking about your accounts, insurance, beneficiaries, and more. Lacy also walks us through her Every Woman’s Checklist, which you can find on the Duologue Substack.

Chapters

(00:00:00) Why Strangers struck a nerve

(00:09:20) The numbers on women and financial confidence

(00:13:30) Raising financially literate kids and young adults

(00:38:53) Money conversations before and during marriage

(00:42:02) Prenups as a framework for honest conversations

(00:46:50) Trusts, separate property, and transparency

(00:51:39) Do you know what your spouse earns?

(00:56:25) Takeaways and Every Woman's Checklist

This episode is for informational purposes only and is not financial or legal advice. Please talk with a qualified professional about your own situation.

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Resources

Willow Trust: trustwillow.com

Ready to take the next step? Get matched with a financial advisor in Willow’s network: https://my.trustwillow.com/?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=duologue

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How to Lower Your Ovarian Cancer Risk with Sloan Kettering Surgeon Dr. Kara Long Sep 30, 2026

Show notes

Ovarian cancer affects about 1 in 90 women, there is no screening test for it, and it rarely causes symptoms until it has already spread. For Ovarian Cancer Awareness Month, I sat down with Dr. Kara Long, an ovarian cancer surgeon at Memorial Sloan Kettering, to talk about the discovery that changed everything we know about this disease: the most common and deadliest form of ovarian cancer actually starts in the fallopian tubes, not the ovaries.

Dr. Long walks us through why ultrasounds and blood tests can't catch it early, what the new data shows about fallopian tube removal (salpingectomy) and ovarian cancer prevention, and what the new American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) guidelines released this August mean for anyone who is finished having children, having a hysterectomy, or considering permanent birth control. We also talk about genetic testing, BRCA and beyond, why your family history matters more than you might think, and the real barriers to access. Plus, she shares what every woman should know about preventing cervical, endometrial, and vulvar cancer, including the HPV vaccine, hormone replacement, and the warning signs you should never ignore. Dr. Long has already seen this advice save a life: a woman who heard her speak on the topic took action, and it led to catching an aggressive ovarian cancer in time. As Dr. Long said, if even one or two people hear this and make a choice, it could save their lives. Please share it with the women you love. You could save a life.

Chapters

(00:00:00) Introduction

(00:02:00) Ovarian cancer by the numbers

(00:05:30) Why there's no screening test

(00:07:21) The fallopian tube discovery

(00:12:38) New data and the ACOG guidelines

(00:17:21) Family history and genetic testing

(00:26:23) Does tube removal cause menopause?

(00:28:29) Preventing other gynecologic cancers

(00:38:45) Dr. Long's prevention work

(00:44:50) Women's health and access

(00:49:44) Closing

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Resources

Outsmart Ovarian Cancer: outsmartovariancancer.org

American Cancer Society: cancer.org

Guest photos courtesy of Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center.

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How to Actually Use a Travel Advisor: Corey Cook’s Playbook Sep 24, 2026

Show notes

Corey Cook has been planning trips professionally for years, from teen adventures in Morocco to African safaris to the multi-family ski weeks that used to be reserved for the ultra wealthy. Leslie sits down with her old friend (nicknamed Quad since their boarding school days) to find out what a travel advisor actually does, and why so many people are finally using one.
Corey walks through the questions she asks every client before planning a trip, her favorite family and teen destinations right now (Morocco, Portugal, Costa Rica, London, Paris), and why a growing number of Americans are flying to the Alps to ski instead of paying Telluride prices. She also breaks down how to survive the most expensive week of the year to travel, the hacks she uses to get clients into Prague, Budapest, and South America instead of getting priced out of the Caribbean, and the simple rule that guides everything she does for a client: always ask.

Find Corey Cook at Fifi and Hop.
(00:00:00) Intro and welcome, Corey's "Quad" origin story
(00:03:00) From travel blog to travel advisor, Corey's background
(00:05:00) Best family and teen destinations, Morocco, California, dude ranches
(00:14:00) Costa Rica, London and Paris for teens
(00:18:00) The case for Portugal, Lisbon, Porto, the Douro Valley, Madeira
(00:21:00) Budget friendly picks, Vietnam, Thailand, Montenegro and Croatia
(00:23:00) Ski trips, Telluride versus skiing in Europe
(00:26:00) Ski and city combos, the Dolomites and Venice, Japan
(00:28:00) Surviving holiday travel pricing
(00:31:00) South America for the holidays, Argentina, Cartagena and Baru
(00:40:00) Insider tips, booking direct, always ask, hotel preferences
(00:45:00) The questions Corey asks every client before planning a trip
(00:46:00) Corey's pricing model and making travel advising accessible
(00:49:00) Corey's favorite trip ever, African safari
(00:50:00) Outro and teaser for a future couples travel episode

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The Pirate Queen: Ariel Lawhon on 400 Years of Complex Women Sep 17, 2026

Show notes

Ariel Lawhon's new novel, The Pirate Queen, is out now, and it brings Grace O'Malley, a sixteenth century Irish noblewoman who became a legendary pirate, mother, and rebel, roaring back to life. It's the same instinct that shaped Ariel's earlier novels Codename Helene and I Was Anastasia: find the real woman that history left out, and let her tell the whole story.

In this conversation, Ariel tells me how she stumbled onto Grace's story at four in the morning, why she structures her novels around the maiden, mother, and matriarch phases of a woman's life, and what it actually takes to write women who get to be complicated at every age. We also get into her writing process. She's a self-described plotter who wrote her first novels in fifteen minute windows while raising four sons, and she keeps a running file of future book ideas, cleverly titled Possible Book Ideas, where stories can sit for over a decade before their moment finally arrives. She gives us a first look at what's next too: a Western she's calling Lonesome Dove, but for women.

The Pirate Queen is available now wherever books are sold.

(00:00:00) Welcome and introduction to Ariel Lawhon
(00:04:38) Growing up off-grid in Taos, New Mexico
(00:09:23) Her first novel and the friend who introduced her to her agent
(00:11:52) The email she sent with only a third of a manuscript
(00:14:08) Finding Judge Crater's story by accident
(00:16:33) Research and source material, and being on her sixth novel
(00:23:34) How every book idea has found her by accident
(00:25:51) The Frozen River and her 13-year-old file of Possible Book Ideas
(00:28:05) Plotter vs. pantser: writing in stolen time while raising four sons
(00:30:21) On inspiration: "the muse has to find you working"
(00:32:41) Why she's drawn to women with verve
(00:35:06) Writing older, more complex women into fiction
(00:37:29) Discovering Grace O'Malley at 4 a.m.
(00:39:49) Balancing Irish folklore against the English historical record
(00:42:02) The letter to Queen Elizabeth I and the meeting itself
(00:44:23) What The Pirate Queen is really about
(00:46:48) Teasing the next book: The Devil's Rope

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Pick up The Pirate Queen wherever books are sold!

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Surviving 9/11: Tim Grant's Story From the 105th Floor Sep 11, 2026

Show notes

Surviving 9/11: my friend of over thirty years, Tim Grant, is speaking publicly for the first time about what happened to him that morning. Tim was on the 105th floor of the South Tower at the World Trade Center — one of only a handful of people who made it out from that floor and above. In this conversation, he walks me through that day minute by minute: the heat and fireball when the first plane hit the tower next door, his decision to leave his desk immediately rather than wait for instructions, and the more than one hundred flights of stairs he descended, which grew far more crowded and much slower once the second plane struck his own building while he was already partway down, around the 60th floor. He also describes his desperate attempt afterward to reach his fiancée from a payphone with no cell service working. Twenty-five years later, Tim opens up about what came after — the funerals, becoming a father, and how that morning has shaped the way he's lived every day since.

(00:00:00) Intro
(00:03:31) Tim's morning on September 11th before anything happened
(00:07:09) Feeling the heat from the first plane hitting Tower One
(00:09:55) Tim's decision to leave his desk immediately
(00:13:08) Descending to the 78th floor with Rob and Tom
(00:18:00) The second plane hits Tim's own building
(00:25:01) Reaching the bottom and the devastation outside
(00:44:03) Life after 9/11 — funerals, family, and moving forward
(00:47:58) Tim's message on what he wants us to remember

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Building a Fashion Empire and a Life in Jackson Hole with Lela Rose Aug 06, 2026

Show notes

Fashion designer Lela Rose has spent almost thirty years building her ready-to-wear and bridal label. But when she left New York for Jackson Hole, Wyoming, she opened something completely different — a tiny log cabin store called Lela Rose Ranch. In this episode of our summer travel series, Lela shares her story and her full guide to Jackson Hole, from the best hikes to a night out at the Cowboy Bar.

(00:00:00) Intro
(00:00:14) Lela's 29 years in fashion and how she got started
(00:03:55) Neiman Marcus, quality control, and early lessons
(00:05:25) From ready-to-wear to bridal
(00:11:47) Leaving New York for Jackson Hole during COVID
(00:08:27) Opening the Lela Rose Ranch log cabin store
(00:22:09) What to pack for Jackson Hole
(00:22:23) Where to stay and where to eat
(00:35:06) Best hikes and outdoor adventures
(00:27:04) Entertaining outdoors and her two books

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The Ultimate Newport, Rhode Island Travel Guide with Nick Mele Jul 29, 2026

Show notes

Nick Mele has spent his whole life in Newport, Rhode Island — and turned his eye for that world into a career photographing it, in a style Town and Country refers to as "the Slim Aarons of our time." He's also the photographer behind the book A Newport Summer, his love letter to the place he grew up. On this episode, Nick shares where to stay, where to eat, and the local-only spots most visitors never find — everything you need for a perfect Newport summer weekend.

(00:00:00) Introduction

(00:35:55) Where to stay in Newport

(00:40:27) Where to eat and drink

(00:44:56) Cliff Walk and Rejects Beach

(00:47:20) Mansions, Newport Film, and museum culture

(00:52:30) Festivals, car shows, and Coaching Weekend

(00:56:22) Family-friendly spots outside town

(01:07:00) Outro

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From Hotel Guest to Hotel Owner: Building The Colony & The Hedges with Sarah Wetenhall Jul 17, 2026

Show notes

Sarah Wetenhall had never worked in hospitality when she and her husband decided, almost on a dare, to buy The Colony Hotel in Palm Beach. She joins me to talk about turning decades as a guest into two of the most in-demand boutique hotels in the country, and what it took to build The Hedges Inn in East Hampton next.

(00:00) Introduction
(02:00) The Colony: family history & buying in with zero experience
(06:39) Deciding to buy The Hedges
(09:00) Opening The Hedges & bringing Swifty's east
(11:22) Inside the guest experience
(13:35) Local recs: restaurants, shops & hidden gems
(27:24) The Ina Garten story
(29:43) Best times to visit East Hampton
(32:00) What's next for Sarah and Andrew
(34:25) Community programming: Conversations at the Hedges
(39:10) Wrap-up

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The Unsung People Who Made Presidential History with Jean Becker & Tom Collamore Jun 24, 2026

Show notes

They never appear in the photo. They never take the credit. But without them, there’s no flyover, no Brandenburg Gate speech, no “Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall.” For sixty years, the people behind every presidential moment have operated under one unwritten rule: what happens on the road stays on the road. Jean Becker and Tom Collamore have finally convinced 96 of them to break it.

Jean and Tom join me to discuss their new book Don’t Tell the President, a bipartisan collection of stories spanning LBJ through Obama. We get into the bicycle bell phone trick that conjured a fake presidential call, how Chelsea Clinton ended up chasing Air Force One through Moscow in a laundry van, what really went into making Reagan’s Berlin Wall speech historic, and why Bob Dole ended up being greeted by Daffy Duck and Frankenstein at what was supposed to be a campaign event.

We also go to the serious side — 9/11, Sandy Hook, assassination attempts on Ford and Reagan — and what it means to be the person who has to put a president in the right place on the worst days in American history.

Jean Becker served as Chief of Staff to President George H.W. Bush is the author of The Man I Knew and Character Matters. Tom Collamore is a senior advisor to the George and Barbara Bush Foundation, was Chief of Staff and assistant Secretary of Commerce in the George H W Bush Administration senior fellow at the Bush Presidential Library and a veteran of multiple presidential trips.

(00:00:03) Introduction
(00:01:50) How the book came to be
(00:06:31) What does a presidential advance person actually do?
(00:08:46) John the Baptist: the first advance person
(00:10:43) The bicycle bell phone trick
(00:13:00) Chelsea Clinton and the Moscow laundry van
(00:15:27) How advance changed after the Reagan assassination attempt
(00:17:44) The Secret Service relationship
(00:20:08) Robert Gates as a pre-advance person
(00:22:28) The nude beach in Martinique
(00:24:48) George W. Bush, a safari, and elephant mating season
(00:27:10) The Vatican vs. the Bush team over a backdrop
(00:29:31) Two Clinton staffers, a locksmith, and a Texas standoff
(00:31:48) The president as comforter in chief
(00:34:12) 9/11 and the shoes Brian Montgomery still can't clean
(00:36:39) Reagan's Berlin Wall speech almost happened inside
(00:39:00) Obama at Sandy Hook
(00:41:25) Bob Dole, Daffy Duck, and the campaign event from hell
(00:45:59) Outro

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