Kelly welcomes Scott Barry Kaufman back to the podcast to talk about his new book “Rise Above: Overcome a Victim Mindset, Empower Yourself, and Realize Your Full Potential.”     To a certain degree, all of us can point to a trauma or disadvantage that was a setback, but at a certain point, don’t we …

Kelly connects with Raffi Grinberg, a business leader, author, and educator based in Washington, DC. When teaching at Boston College, Raffi created a popular class called “Adulting 101.” He’s turned the teachings from that class into the book, “How to Be a Grown Up.”   Does this book about adulting step from personal experience?  “When I …

Kelly talks to former Gap executive Abby Davison, who has co-written a book with legendary Stanford University Professor Myra Strober called, “Money and Love: An Intelligent Roadmap for Life’s Biggest Decision”    I had an emotional response to the title of the book, “Money & Love,” probably because it was the title of an article about …

Kelly connects with CEO Wes Adams and Professor Tamara Myles about their new book, “Meaningful Work: How to Ignite Passion and Performance in Every Employee.”     It’s not often that the ‘Yes, And’ concept specifically shows up in one of our guest’s books.  “Well, as you know, we reference Second City actually multiple times in …

Kelly gets courageous with former Google executive Jenny Wood to talk about her new book, “Wild Courage: Go After What You Want and Get It.”     So much of this book zigs when other’s zag and you talk about getting comfortable with discomfort which is such an improv thing.  “The vast majority of us struggle with …

Kelly talks with Dr. Sandy Jo MacArthur and Dr. Luann Pannell from the University of Chicago Crime Lab and Second City’s Tyler Dean Kempf about the work we’re doing together bringing improvisation into the Policing Leadership Academy.     Can you quickly tell us what the University of Chicago Crime Lab is?  “What is really interesting …

Kelly connects with The Atlantic journalist Olga Khazan whose new book, “Me, But Better: The Science and Promise of Personality Change,” follows her as she attempts to change her own personality including taking improv classes in order to boost her extroversion.     Personality researchers talk about the big 5 personality traits and one of those …

Kelly welcomes Martha Jones back to the podcast. She is the Society of Black Alumni Presidential Professor and professor of history at the SNF Agora Institute at Johns Hopkins University. We spoke to her last about her book “Vanguard.” Her new book is called “The Trouble of Color: An American Family Memoir.”     You write in the book: “I …

Kelly connects with Dannagal Goldthwaite Young, a professor in the Department of Communication at the University of Delaware. Her research interests include political media effects, public opinion, political satire and the psychology of political humor. Her books include “Irony and Outrage” and “Wrong.” She’s also an improviser.     You talk in your book about the right/left schism being …