Kelly Corrigan Wonders

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Thanks For Being Here - Wendie's Tribute to Joanie and Da Dec 14, 2025

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Wendy Childress shares the story of losing her beautiful daughter Chloe in the devastating Camp Mystic floods in Texas, and writes a deeply moving tribute to her parents, Joanie and Da. She takes us through that terrible night and the days that followed—the phone calls, the waiting, the moment she had to tell her parents the worst news imaginable. Wendy reflects on having to stop protecting them from pain and become their daughter again, asking them to be strong when everything fell apart. She explores what it means when love comes full circle—to be a child, then a parent, then a child again—and how her parents showed up in ways she never imagined possible, refusing to give up even in the face of crushing grief.

Go To on Takeaways from Five Years of Podcasting Dec 12, 2025

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After 700 episodes, Kelly distills what matters most: the places where old wisdom meets new science, what eulogies teach us about greatness, and why vulnerability means showing the wound before it heals. She reflects on learning to take up less space, the relief of not needing to know everything, and how listening functions as love. At the core is a question we're all asking—do I matter?—and the small, steady practices that answer it.

Deep Dive with Anna Quindlen on The Art of Gifting and Regifting Dec 09, 2025

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For anyone with gift anxiety, for anyone who feels like you can’t win for losing, this is the conversation for you. Full of reminders and insights as we gear up for the season, Anna and Kelly ask all the right questions. (Previously aired)

If you enjoyed this episode with Anna Quindlen, please check out Kelly Corrigan Wonders episodes 24-28 featuring Anna Quindlen and podcaster Anna Sale for a series on "How to Make the Most of Family Life".

Thanks For Being Here - Meghan's Eulogy for her Father, Forty Years Later Dec 07, 2025

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In this episode, writer Megan Cathlin shares a eulogy written four decades after her father's death by suicide when she was five years old. She reflects on the man he was—a musician, philosopher, and deep thinker whose hands found truth at the piano—and the weight he carried in an era before vulnerability had language. Kaplan wrestles with childhood confusion about sin and punishment, ultimately arriving at a profound understanding: that people can be both radiant and struggling, that suffering doesn't diminish worth, and that love remains even when someone chooses to leave. Through her words, she offers her father what he couldn't give himself—permission to be human, flawed, and enough.

Check out Meghan's book: Leading With the Heart: The Courage to Trust Your Inner Wisdom and Rewrite Your Life

Go To on Fear vs. Fact Dec 05, 2025

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Journalist and author Amanda Ripley cuts through the noise with a startling fact: America is on track for its lowest murder rate since 1960, yet most Americans believe the opposite. Kelly shares insights from Amanda's Substack "Unraveled," examining how we've become so disconnected from reality, why conflict entrepreneurs profit from our fear, and what it would look like if media corrected our biases instead of amplifying them. Amanda points to researchers tracking the actual data on political violence, cancer mortality, and public perception, then asks three simple questions we should answer every time we share a story: How often is this happening? Is it getting better or worse? What can we do about it? The antidote to apocalyptic thinking, she argues, isn't denial—it's action, context, and a willingness to see what's actually there.

Learn more about Amanda and her work at https://www.thegoodconflict.com/

Deep Dive with Anna Quindlen on Showing Up Dec 02, 2025

Show notes

Anna Quindlen and Kelly share readings, stories and insights on the art of holidaying, regular-people style - and focus on why showing up for those we love matters so very much. Special dro- in by Kelly’s brother, Booker. (Previously aired)

If you love Anna Q, you’ll enjoy episodes 24-28 from March 2021.

Thanks For Being Here - William Wallace's Eulogy for Grams Nov 30, 2025

Show notes

Kelly shares a grandson's eulogy that captures the essence of an extraordinary relationship with his grandmother. Through William Wallace's memories, we see how his "Grams" created magic through simple but meaningful traditions – from crafting elaborate birthday desserts to transforming spaces just for him – demonstrating how the deepest family bonds are built through consistent presence and thoughtful attention to what makes someone feel special. (Previously aired)

Go To on AI & the Poetry of Family Nov 28, 2025

Show notes

A father in Dublin watches through a car window as his five-year-old son talks to his mother in the front seat—the pale face in the glow of headlights, the hands clasped to the seatbelt, the bare arm raised to point at something. He can't hear a word, but he knows everything about that conversation that truly matters. In this final Go To episode featuring Duncan Keegan's TED talk from Kelly's curated session on AI and family life, a man who lost his son explores what we're really for—being present with each other in ways that require courage, sacrifice, and our full living selves—especially in moments of profound loss and grief.

Deep Dive with Anna Quindlen on Turkey and Forgiveness Nov 25, 2025

Show notes

Anna Quindlen and Kelly work through pre-game jitters about the holidays and how they might turn out okay after all. Kelly shares a reading on the ever-present need for forgiveness. Special guest appearance by Kelly’s brother, Booker. (Previously aired)

If you enjoyed this episode with Anna Quindlen, please check out Kelly Corrigan Wonders episodes 24-28 featuring Anna Quindlen and podcaster Anna Sale for a series on “How to Make the Most of Family Life”. Please subscribe, rate and review us wherever you listen to podcasts! We read and appreciate every review.

Thanks For Being Here - Emma's Essay "Go to the Party, Even When Life Doesn't Feel Like One" Nov 23, 2025

Show notes

What happens when you show up for someone else's joy while carrying your own grief? A mother steps away from caregiving for 72 hours to witness a bat mitzvah, and discovers that being woven into someone else's celebration—the photo shoots, the prayers, the hours on the dance floor—can lift sorrow without erasing it. This is Emma Nadler's reflection on how we need each other not despite what we're going through, but because of it.

Emma Nadler is the author of The Unlikely Village of Eden: A Memoir, and is working on a novel. For more information, check out www.emmanadler.com

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