Kelly connects with Matt Beane, University of California professor, to discuss his new book: “The Skill Code: How to Save Human Ability in an Age of Intelligent Machines.”  “If it’s going to flourish, the future of skill needs the very technologies we’re concerned about.”  “We learn best when we get healthy challenge: too much, and we burn […]

Kelly welcomes Jo Boaler back to the podcast. Jo is the Nomellini & Olivier Professor of Education at Stanford University. She is the author of nineteen books and numerous research articles. Her latest book is called “Math-Ish: Finding Creativity, Diversity, and Meaning in Mathematics.”  “Mathematics can be a secret weapon.”  “People with a growth mindset view mistakes as […]

Kelly connects with Jessica Calarco, a Sociologist and Associate Professor at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. to discuss her latest book “Holding it Together: How Women Became America’s Social Safety Net. “ “Care flows through networks, and we all exist in networks of care.”  “Learned helplessness manifests inequality.”  “The problem, of course, is that when women prove they can hold […]

Kelly talks to Harvard Professor Todd Rogers about his book “Writing for Busy Readers: Communicate More Effectively in the Real World”  that he co-wrote with Jessica Lasky-Fink.  “Modern writers need extra help breaking through all the distractions.”  “Use fewer words.”  “Studies show that all-caps text does not enhance readers’ understanding.” 

Kelly welcomes back Yale professor Emma Seppala to the podcast to discuss her new book: “Sovereign: Reclaim Your Freedom, Energy, and Power in a Time of Distraction, Uncertainty and Chaos.” “Regardless of race, nationality, religion, gender, or social status, at our core we’re the same: sovereign.”  “Many of us have a toxic relationship with ourselves.”  “It […]

Kelly welcomes back fan-favorite Kim Scott to the podcast to discuss how she decided to reframe and significantly rewrite her book “Just Work” to turn it into “Radical Respect.” “Collaboration is essential to any great human accomplishment.”  “Words matter. You are not the word dictator.”  “Self-righteous shaming is an act of vengeance, not repair.” 

Kelly sits down with philosophy professor Christopher Wong Michaelson and management professor Jennifer Tosti-Kharas to talk about their fantastic new book, “Is Your Work Worth It? How to Think About Meaningful Work.” “Sometimes it takes a catastrophe for us to pay attention.”  “Art and work have more in common than that they share the word […]

Kelly talks to Mary Murphy, professor of psychological and brain sciences at Indiana University and founding director of the Summer Institute on Diversity at the Center for Advanced Study in the Behavioral Sciences at Stanford University. Her new book is called “Cultures of Growth: How the New Science of Mindset Can Transform Individuals, Teams and Organizations.”  […]

Kelly connects with Stanford professor of psychiatry, Elias Aboujaoude, to talk about his provocative new book, “A Leader’s Destiny: Why Psychology, Personality, and Character Make All the Difference.”  “Coaches may be ‘treating’ people who should be receiving mental health care instead.”  “Much is lost by embracing a narrow leadership brand.”  “One does not go online to […]

Please enjoy this bonus podcast as Kelly interviews opera legend Renee Fleming live for the Chicago Humanities Festival as they discuss her new book “Music and Mind: Harnessing the Arts for Health and Wellness.”  “We humans likely sang before we spoke.”  “I believe that the arts should be embedded in our health-care system.” “As a singer, […]

Kelly welcomes the prolific author Cass Sunstein back to the show to talk about his new book, “How to Become Famous: Lost Einsteins, Forgetting Superstars and How The Beatles Came to Be.” “Success and failure are exceedingly hard to predict.”  “Excessive familiarity is boring, and excessive novelty is incomprehensible.”  “Every successful artist succeeds in their […]

Kelly has a compelling conversation with Jerry Colonna, the Co-founder of Flatiron Partners, one of the most successful, early-stage investment programs; former partner with J.P. Morgan Partners (JPMP), the private equity arm of J.P. Morgan Chase. Jerry is the author of two books: REBOOT: Leadership and the Art of Growing Up and his latest book […]

Kelly speaks to journalist Tricia Romano who has published a vast oral history of the Village Voice newspaper called “The Freaks Came Out to Write: The Definitive History of The Village Voice, the Radical Paper that Changed American Culture.”  “The paper was called the Voice, and that’s what it was. It was like a loud, open mouth.” […]

Want a productivity hack that will change your life? Kelly connects with Marc Zao-Sanders, the co-founder and CEO of filtered.com to discuss his new book “Timeboxing: The Power of Doing One Thing at a Time.” “Timeboxing is the flexible friend of any and all other time management techniques.”  “Disconcertingly organized people weren’t born that way.”  “Time […]

Is your spouse a tightwad or a spendthrift? Kelly talks to Scott Rick, marketing professor at the University of Michigan’s Ross School of Business, about his new book “Tightwads and Spendthrifts: Navigating the Money Minefield in Real Relationships.”  “Too much dissimilarity is bad for a marriage.”  “Selecting great gifts requires careful listening.”   “For many of […]

Kelly connects with best-selling author Emily P. Freeman to talk about her new book, “How to Walk into a Room: The Art of Knowing When to Stay and When to Walk Away.”  “We all walk through exits and endings throughout our lives.”  “The mistake we make is to assume we’re all in the same room.”  “How we’re formed informs how […]

Kelly sits down at The Second City with Harvard business professor Michael Norton to discuss his new book “The Ritual Effect: From Habit to Ritual, Harness the Surprising Power of Everyday Actions.” “A ritual is not a habit.”  “Taken to the extreme, pre-performance rituals get in our way.”  “Rituals can be the practices that call […]

Kelly talks to Elaine Lin Hering, a former managing partner of Triad Consulting Group and a lecturer at Harvard Law School, specializing in dispute resolution, mediation, and negotiation. Her new book is called “Unlearning Silence: How to Speak Your Mind, Unleash Talent, and Live More Fully. “Silence is a survival strategy.”  “Getting people to share what […]

Kelly connects with Keith Boykin, a New York Times bestselling author, TV and Film producer, and former CNN political commentator. Keith served in the White House, cofounded the National Black Justice Coalition and taught at Columbia University. He is the author of seven books and his most recent is called “Why Does Everything Have to Be About Race? […]

Kelly goes deep with Pulitzer Prize-winning author Daniel de Vise about his new book, “The Blues Brothers: An Epic Friendship, the Rise of Improv, and the Making of an American Film Classic.”  “Belushi was a violent teddy bear, a cuddly monster, lovable and vulnerable and real.”  “Most Animal House actors followed the script: John improvised.”  “In truth, John […]

Kelly talks to tech entrepreneur Tobias Dengel about his new book “Sound of the Future: The Coming Age of Voice Technology.” “Speed is the ultimate weapon in business.”  “You cannot create the world’s best products if everyone in the room looks the same.”  “Your first task is to fall in love with the problem.

Kelly welcomes Cal Newport back to the podcast. Cal is a professor of computer science at Georgetown University where he is also a founding member of the Center for Digital Ethics. He is the author of many books, including “Deep Work.” His latest book is called “Slow Productivity: The Lost Art of Accomplishment Without Burnout.” “Slow productivity doesn’t ask that you extinguish […]

Kelly connects with Malissa Clark, an associate professor of industrial and organizational psychology at the University of Georgia. Her new book is called “Never Not Working: Why the Always-On Culture is Bad for Business – and How to Fix it.”  “Today, almost half of US workers would classify themselves as workaholics.”  “Engagement and workaholism can look similar.”  […]

Kelly has an insightful conversation with sociologist Corey Keyes about languishing, flourishing, and mental health. His new book is “Languishing: How to Feel Alive Again in a World That Wears Us Down.”  “Games are a microcosm of adulthood.” “We humans often get fooled by feelings.”  “Acceptance needs to start with you.” 

Kelly speaks to Alison Taylor, a clinical professor at NYU Stern School of Business and the Executive Director of Ethical Systems, a research collaboration of prominent business school professors working on ethical culture founded by Jonathon Haidt. They discuss her new book, “Higher Ground: How Business Can Do the Right Thing in a Turbulent World.”  “We’re […]

Kelly bridges the world of Navy Seals training and Second City improv training with performance psychologist and retired US Navy commander Eric Potterat and executive communication expert Alan Eagle. They’ve co-written a new book: “Learned Excellence: Mental Disciplines for Leading and Winning from the World’s Top Performers.” “It is the top performers’ mental approach to […]

Kelly explores The Second City’s landmark college program Comedy Studies with its Director, Anne Libera. “We learn from failing as opposed to the yes/no or risk/failure binary.” “With comedy, you have to be culturally competent, you have to be aware, you have to be observational.” “Comedy is a combination of recognition, pain and distance.”

Kelly welcomes the great Bob Sutton back to the podcast. Professor Emeritus at Stanford, Bob has a new book out called “The Friction Project” which he co-wrote with Huggy Rao.  “Piles of studies show, to do creative work right, teams need to slow down, struggle, and develop a lot of bad ideas to find a […]

Kelly talks to W. Russell Neuman,  a specialist in new media and digital education at New York University – whose career has also taken him to MIT and the White House – to discuss his new book “Evolutionary Intelligence: How Technology Will Make Us Smarter.”  “We are demonstrably poor at learning from our mistakes.”  “Eyeglasses and hearing […]

Kelly takes a look at leadership through the lens of history with Moshik Temkin, a professor of history and leadership at Schwarzman College, Tsinghua University and a faculty affiliate at Harvard University’s Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs. His new book is titled, “Warriors, Rebels & Saints: The Art of Leadership from Machiavelli to […]

Kelly connects with psychologist and professor Dr. Mariel Buque to discuss her new book “Break the Cycle: A Guide to Healing Intergenerational Trauma.”  “No cycle breaker will ever feel fully ready to break the cycle.”  “The higher self is not a perfectly healed self, because perfect healing is a myth.”  “We cannot change what we cannot see.” You can follow […]

Kelly connects with Rajiv Shah, the President of the Rockefeller Foundation and a former government official who oversaw USAID from 2010 to 2015. His new book is called “Big Bets: How Large-Scale Change Really Happens.” “For centuries, two factors determined an individual’s capacity for solving the world’s problems: divinity and dollars.”  “Money alone doesn’t deliver […]

Kelly talks to Vulture Senior Editor Jesse David Fox who also hosts the “Good One” podcast about his new book, “Comedy Book: How Comedy Conquered Culture – And the Magic That Makes it Work.”  “Comedy only exists when both the comedian and audience are working together to create the state of play.”  “’Funny is funny’ is a […]

Kelly chats with author Rob Kozlowski about a movie franchise that is dear to both of them and the subject of Rob’s latest book: “Becoming Nick and Nora: The Thin Man and the Films of William Powell and Myrna Loy.” “The characters of Nick and Nora Charles remain the standard for married couples in the movies.”  […]

Kelly welcomes Brad Stulberg back to the podcast, the well-being expert is on the faculty of the University of Michigan and his new book is called “Master of Change: How to Excel When Everything is Changing – Including You.” “Our biggest personal and collective challenges revolve around change.”  “The best approach is to combine fierce self-discipline […]

Kelly has a fun conversation with longtime Saturday Night Live producer Lindsay Shookus about her experiences at the legendary comedy show as well as her current work co-leading the platform and networking community “Woman Work F’ing Hard.” “Expecting perfection is guaranteed disappointment.” “You’re not helping the woman next to you if you’re not being honest.” “Whenever you’re struggling, it’s so important […]

Kelly reminisces with Chicago-bred comedian and author Mike Bridenstine whose new book is called  “The Perfect Amount of Wrong: The Rise of Alt Comedy on Chicago’s North Side.”  “Chicago was an improv town and everybody knew it.” “None of it was glamorous. None of it should have worked at all.” “During that brief period, I was forced to unlearn […]

Kelly talks to best-selling author Morgan Housel whose book “The Psychology of Money” sold over 3 million copies. His new book, “Same as Ever: A Guide to What Never Changes,” is a fascinating look at history’s most powerful lessons. “Asking what the biggest risks are is like asking what you expect to be surprised about.”  “The […]

Kelly sits down with high-performance psychologist Michael Gervais to talk about his new book “The First Rule of Mastery: Stop Worrying About What People Think of You.” “The sooner you fundamentally change your relationship with other people’s opinions, the sooner you become free.”  “The idea that we can take a magic pill that makes our […]

Kelly has a timely conversation with Harvard University professor Michele Lamont to discuss her new book “Seeing Others: How Recognition Works and How it Can Heal a Divided World.” “Identity is and has always been a basis for hateful attacks.”  “Unlike optimism, hope is not an expression of our temperament, but a plan for the […]

Kelly spends time with Catalina Daniels and James Sherman, two entrepreneurs who met at Harvard Business School and have written a new book: “Smart Startups: What Every Entrepreneur Needs to Know.” “Knowing you are meant to be an entrepreneur is a journey unto itself.”  “As soon as you observe a rising tide, you’re too late.”  “Hire for curiosity.”

Kelly talks to Jill Stoddard, the founder and director of The Center for Stress and Anxiety Management, to discuss her new book “Imposter No More: Overcome Self-Doubt and Imposterism to Cultivate a Successful Career.” “If you didn’t care, you wouldn’t worry about being exposed as incompetent.” “The imposter voice often grows rather than shrinks with […]

Kelly welcomes back Suneel Gupta to the podcast to talk about his new book “Everyday Dharma: 8 Essential Practices for Finding Success and Joy in What You Do.” “For too long, we have fixated on the future of work and ignored the future of worth.”  “It’s easy to recognize when you’re lost in the woods. The hard part […]

Kelly interviews Keegan-Michael Key and Elle Key live at the Chicago Humanities Festival to discuss their new book “The History of Sketch Comedy: A Journey Through the Art and Craft of Humor.” “There is something about comedy that is primal.” “Just because something is uncomfortable, doesn’t mean it’s wrong.”  “There was always a parachute and […]

Kelly connects with Liz Tran, the founder of Reset – an executive coaching and wellness company – to talk about her new book “The Karma of Success: Spiritual Strategies to Free Your Inner Genius.” “Our work selves and our home selves are not separate beings.”  “Get out of your own way and allow what is already […]

Kelly welcomes Harvard professor Frances Frei back to the podcast along with leadership coach Anne Morriss to talk about their new book:  “Move Fast and Fix Things: The Trusted Leader’s Guide to Solving Hard Problems.”  “The fastest way to mess up change leadership is to make it about you.”  “The most important item on your packing […]

Kelly talks to Susan Magsamen and Ivy Ross about the science behind art. The pair have written the book “Your Brain on Art: How the Arts Transforms Us.” “We now have scientific proof that the arts are essential to our very survival.” “Your brain loves a good metaphor.” “Curiosity is a building block of flourishing.”

Kelly connects with UCLA professor Hal Hershfield to talk about his new book “Your Future Self: How To Make Tomorrow Better Today.”  “Your fate is not fixed. Not even close.”  “We can never really know our future selves.”  “You are actually a we.” 

Kelly welcomes back renowned Harvard professor Amy Edmondson to the podcast to discuss her new book “The Right Kind of Wrong: The Science of Failing Well.” “Most of us fail to learn the valuable lessons failures can offer.”   “Everyone fails at failure.”  “When it comes to errors, intent matters.” 

Kelly sits down with playwright and author Jeffrey Sweet to discuss the new edition of his legendary book “Something Wonderful Right Away,” an oral history of The Second City.

Kelly reconnects with Second City alum Mike Lukas to talk about his new book, “Finding Your Funny Muscle: How to Create Laughs Like a Pro.” “A good laugh can feel better than sex on drugs in a rock and roll hot tub.” “Bottom line, humor isn’t some obscure concept that only the chosen few can master.”  “Shared pain makes us […]

Kelly speaks to journalist Jason Del Rey to discuss his new book, “Winner Sells All: Amazon, Walmart and the Battle For Our Wallets.” “You can either choose to disrupt yourself or be caught flatfooted when disruption chooses you.”  “This might not have been move fast and break things, but it was at times, move fast and fake things.”  “A world where one […]

Kelly speaks with Christian Madsbjerg, co-founder of the consulting firm ReD Associates and professor of applied humanities at the New School in New York City. He has a new book called “Look: How to Pay Attention in a Distracted World.” “Creativity is never radical, insights are.”  “Stop talking and try listening. What will you hear in the silence?”  […]

Kelly steps out of “Yes, And” mode to talk to University of Houston professor Vanessa Patrick about her new book  “The Power of Saying No: The New Science of How to Say No That Puts You in Charge of Your life.” “There is little upside to saying yes when we want to say no.”  “The way […]

Kelly speaks with legendary Washington Post sportswriter Sally Jenkins about her new book, “The Right Call: What Sports Teach us About the Art of Decision Making.” “No one succeeds alone, not even a LeBron James.”  “The brain robs your body of the energy to think.”  “Good practice is transformative.” 

Kelly connects across the pond with Neil Mullarkey, who began his comedy career in a duo with Mike Myers, improvised with London’s legendary Comedy Store Players, and applied his knowledge of improvisation to the world of business management training. He has a new book, “In the Moment: Build Your Confidence, Communication and Creativity at Work.”  You can find […]

Kelly has a fascinating conversation with scholars Morten Christiansen and Nick Chater to talk about their new book, “The Language Game: How Improvisation Created Language and Changed the World.”  “Actual language is always a matter of improvisation, of finding an effective way to meet the communicative demands of the moment.”  “Language is continually invented in the […]

Kelly talks to Babson College professor Rob Cross and returning guest Karen Dillon of the Harvard Business Review to discuss their new book: “The Microstress Effect: How Little Things Pile Up and Create Big Problems – and What to Do About It.” “You can’t always control what you’re asked to do, but you can control how you respond.”  “Our brains […]

Kelly sits down with Zeynep Ton, Professor of the Practice in the Operations Management group at MIT Sloan School of Management, to discuss her new book  “The Case for Good Jobs: How Great Companies Bring Dignity, Pay, and Meaning to Everyone’s Work.”  “A jockey on an injured horse isn’t going to win just because you doubled his pay.”  “Bad […]

Kelly connects with Dan Lyons, journalist and former staff writer for the famed television series “Silicon Valley” to discuss his new book,  “STFU: The Power of Keeping Your Mouth Shut in an Endlessly Noisy World.”  “Talking is like breathing. You don’t think about it; you just do it.”  “Our brains suck at multitasking. Trying to do it makes us dumber […]

Kelly welcomes back NYU marketing professor Adam Alter to the podcast to talk about his new book,  “Anatomy of a Breakthrough: How to Get Unstuck When It Matters Most.”  “People tend to get stuck in the middle.”  “The best way to be lucky is to persevere because luck overlaps with longevity.” “Most of the time, people overestimate the […]

Kelly Leonard, Executive Director of Learning & Applied Improvisation at Second City Works, connects with Marcus Collins, the head of strategy at Wieden+Kennedy and a clinical assistant professor of marketing at The Ross School of Business, University of Michigan, to discuss his new book: “For The Culture: The Power Behind What We Buy, What We Do, And Who […]

BONUS PODCAST: This bonus podcast was taped live at the Up Comedy Club at The Second City. Kelly Leonard, Executive Director of Learning & Applied Improvisation at Second City Works, hosts a podcast taping with a stellar panel of guests to look at how comedy is an effective tool in the struggle for human rights. […]

Kelly sits down with Jean Twenge, Professor of Psychology at San Diego State University and the author of “Generations: The Real Difference Between Gen Z, Millennials, Gen X, Boomers, and Silents – and What They Mean for America’s Future.” “Each generation is softer than the one before it.”  “The United States does not just have a growing income […]

BONUS PODCAST: Kelly Leonard, Executive Director of Learning & Applied Improvisation at Second City Works, welcomes the legendary Seth Godin back to the podcast to talk about his new book “The Song of Significance: A New Manifesto for Teams.” “The work of significance embraces the very things that industrialism seeks to stamp out.” “What each […]

Kelly Leonard, Executive Director of Learning & Applied Improvisation at Second City Works, gets a lesson in both food and economics from Professor Ha-Joon Chang when they discuss his new book “Edible Economics: A Hungry Economist Explains the World.” “We Koreans don’t just eat garlic. We process it. In industrial quantities. We are garlic.” “This […]

Kelly Leonard, Executive Director of Learning & Applied Improvisation at Second City Works, talks to facilitator, Neuro-Linguistic Programming Executive Coach, and Burnout Management Specialist Neelu Kaur about her new book, “Be Your Own Cheerleader: An Asian and South Asian Woman’s Cultural, Psychological, and Spiritual Guide to Self-Promote at Work.” “We teach people how we want […]

Kelly Leonard, Executive Director of Learning & Applied Improvisation at Second City Works, connects with University of Virginia psychologist Daniel T. Willingham to talk about his new book, “Outsmart Your Brain: Why Learning is Hard and How You Can Make it Easy.”  “It may come as a surprise, but people can be mistaken about what they […]

BONUS POD: Kelly Leonard, Executive Director of Learning & Applied Improvisation at Second City Works, talks to Princeton historian Kevin Kruse about his new book “Myth America: Historians Take on The Biggest Legends and Lies About Our Past.” “American Exceptionalism has a double meaning.”“Political myths are never far from conspiratorial thinking.”“Few myths have the staying […]

Kelly Leonard, Executive Director of Learning & Applied Improvisation at Second City Works, Kelly has a conversation with entrepreneur Surbhi Sarna who has a new book “Without a Doubt: How to Go From Underrated to Unbeatable.” “Entrepreneurs are people who build their own ladders while also climbing them.” “Taking care of yourself is a demonstration […]

Kelly Leonard, Executive Director of Learning & Applied Improvisation at Second City Works, welcomes back Sarah Rose Cavanagh to the podcast. Sarah is an associate professor of practice in psychology at Simmons University and the author of “Mind Over Monsters: Supporting Youth Mental Health with Compassionate Challenge.”  “The principal purpose of our brains is to manage the […]

BONUS PODCASTS: Kelly Leonard, Executive Director of Learning & Applied Improvisation at Second City Works, records a live podcast with beloved actor, writer and producer Rainn Wilson for the Chicago Humanities Festival to talk about his new book “Soul Boom.” This episode was recorded live April 21, 2023 at The Francis Parker School in Chicago, […]

Kelly Leonard, Executive Director of Learning & Applied Improvisation at Second City Works, crosses the Atlantic to talk to Ben Alderson-Day, an Associate Professor of Psychology at Durham University and the author of “Presence: The Strange Science and True Stories of the Unseen Other.” “Some presences lead. And some our led.” “How our bodies and […]

Kelly talks to Katherine Morgan Schafler, a psychotherapist, writer, speaker and former on-site therapist at Google, about her new book “The Perfectionist’s Guide to Losing Control: A Path to Peace and Power.” “Perfectionism is meant to be managed, not destroyed.”  “The language we use reflects the culture we live in.”  “We’re all in pain, and most of us […]

Kelly meets Bruce Jackson, associate general counsel for Microsoft and a former entertainment attorney. He has a new memoir, “Never Far From Home: My Journey from Brooklyn to Hip Hop, Microsoft, and the Law.” “You can live a Black life at home, in your own bubble, but when you walk out the door it’s a white world. That’s what my […]

Kelly sits on the couch with clinical psychologist Yael Schonbrun to talk about her new book “Work, Parent, Thrive: 12 Science-backed Strategies To Ditch Guilt, Manage Overwhelm and Grown Connection (When Everything Feels Like Too Much).”  “Getting hooked on labels can propel you toward your less-than-ideal self – not what most of us are aiming for.”  “While you […]

Kelly connects with Ben Ramalingam, who just became the Director of Strategy for the British Red Cross and has been a senior leader, innovator, and researcher specializing in international crisis management and development. His new book is called “Upshift: Turning Pressure into Performance and Crisis into Creativity.”

Kelly talks to Anuradha Dayal-Gulati who, after fifteen years in finance and academia, began a new path of helping people release the past and reclaim their power. Her new book is titled  “Heal Your Ancestral Roots: Release the Family Patterns That Hold You Back.” “If we don’t live with intention and courage, we are likely […]

Kelly connects with David Glasgow, NYU Law School professor and the Executive Director of the Melzer Center for Diversity, Inclusion and Belonging. He has a new book co-written with Kenji Yoshino called “Say The Right Thing: How to Talk About Identity, Diversity and Justice.” “It’s impossible to live in a biased society without bias seeping […]

Kelly sits down with MD and Chief Innovation Officer at BetterUP, Gabriella Rosen Kellerman, to discuss her new book co-authored with Martin Seligman: “Tomorrowmind: Thriving at Work – Now and in an Uncertain Future.” “Agency protects us from learned helplessness.”  “No one has shown that hugging a computer can produce oxytocin.” “Creativity need not be […]

Kelly re-connects with American University professor Caty Borum whose new book, “The Revolution Will Be Hilarious,” looks at the intersection of social justice and comedy. “Creativity and culture are still too often relegated to the theoretical sidelines of serious advocacy work.”  “Comedy resides within a great tradition of artistic activism as a mechanism to push for […]

Kelly connects with former Comedy Central executive Tara Schuster to talk about her powerful book about the work she’s done as an adult to overcome a very rough childhood. “If you’re not dealing with the thing you know you need to deal with, it’s dealing with you.”  “Time does not heal all wounds; it just gives them […]

Kelly has a wild conversation with neuroscientist Patrick House about his new book “19 Ways of Looking at Consciousness.” “The brain abhors a story vacuum.” “Like the oceans, like an orchestra, the brain has cadence.”  “Speech and laughter are uniquely human. Although there is considerable information on the neuronal representation of speech, little is known about […]

Kelly spends Valentine’s Day with Scott Barry Kaufman and Jordyn Feingold to talk about their amazing new book, “Choose Growth: A Workbook for Transcending Trauma, Fear, and Self-Doubt.” “Aside from the obvious benefits of laughter to bring about a more positive mood, the body’s experience of laughter literally stimulates our vagus nerve to allow calm to […]

Kelly has a fascinating conversation with Stanford professor Geoffrey Cohen about his new book, “Belonging: The Science of Creating Connection and Bridging Divides.” “Don’t believe everything you think.”  “Our genetic code matters, but so does our zip code.”  “The meaning of a situation isn’t something that each of us alone gets to choose.”

Kelly connects with PepsiCo’s first-ever Chief Design Officer Mauro Porcini to talk about his new book, “The Human Side of Innovation: The Power of People in Love with People.” “A process is only a tool, and a tool without a human being to use it is simply meaningless.”  “Dreaming is simple; making things happen is complex.”  […]

Kelly plops down on the couch with Michael Alcee, a clinical psychologist and Mental Health Educator at Manhattan School of Music, to talk about his book, “Therapeutic Improvisation: How to Stop Winging It and Own It as a Therapist.” “Improvisation, like good poetry, works on the turn, the pivot that moves something away from seeming chaos and […]

Kelly talks to Scott Witthoft about his new book is called “This is A Prototype: The Curious Craft of Exploring New Ideas.” “Prototyping is a slow art of figuring out by fumbling around; it takes practice to create prototypes that fail well.”  “Turning a question into an experience in order to understand the unknown is huge.”  […]

Kelly talks to Dr. Richard Winters, a practicing emergency physician at the Mayo Clinic and the medical director of Professional Leadership Development for the Mayo Clinic Care Network, about his new book, “You’re the Leader, Now What? Leadership Lessons from Mayo Clinic.” “As decision making robots, we have a sentient flaw: we tend to overplay our expertise, and […]

Kelly welcomes neuroscientist Paul Zak back to the podcast to talk about his new book “Immersion: The Science of the Extraordinary and the Source of Happiness.” “Attention opens the door to action, but the neurologic signature of emotional resonance causes people to act.”  “My studies show that marketers have fifteen seconds to capture attention.”  “Emotions are […]

Kelly connects with Ross Dawson, a world-leading futurist, entrepreneur, and keynote speaker to talk about his new book, “Thriving on Overload: The 5 Powers for Success in a World of Exponential Information.” “Information is only meaningful in context.”  “Do you think you’re good at multitasking? If so, you’re wrong.”  “Problems are the spark for invention.”

Kelly sits down with science writer Jessica Nordell to talk about her new book “The End of Bias: A Beginning: The Science and Practice of Overcoming Unconscious Bias.” “Laws create a floor; people determine the ceiling. In the space between floor and ceiling, the interpersonal moments matter.”  “Having biased associations didn’t mean you were a […]

Kelly connects with writer and creative strategist Becky Blades to talk about her new book “Start More Than You Can Finish: A Creative Permission Slip to Unleash Your Best Ideas.” “There’s no degree or curriculum for creative initiative. We learn it in the wild.”  “I’ve learned that ‘maybe’ always turns into ‘yes’ when we talk a while […]

Kelly connects with happiness entrepreneur Scott Simon to talk about his new book: “Scare Your Soul: 7 Powerful Principles for Harnessing Fear and Living Your Most Courageous Life.“ “I knew full well that scaring myself would mean intentionally seeking out my edges, searching for my discomfort.”  “Harness your fears. Get to know them. Dance with […]

Kelly talks to former Obama White House staffers Marina Nitze and Nick Sinai about their new book:  “Hack Your Bureaucracy: Get Things Done No Matter What Your Role on Any Team.” “Constraints can unleash creativity.”  “You should always question ‘water cooler rules.’”  “If you are trying to make a change in a large organization, you’re selling, whether you […]

Kelly talks to Brian Wong, the first American employee of Alibaba, about his new book “The Tao of Alibaba: Inside the Chinese Digital Giant That is Changing the World.” “If you want to change the world, you can start by changing yourself.”  “The potency of a strong value set is wasted if it is not effectively […]

Kelly snags an interview with the legendary baseball manager Joe Maddon to talk about his new book “The Book of Joe: Trying Not to Suck at Baseball & Life.” “Leadership is the courage to extend people’s thinking, boundaries, and ultimately, capabilities so they become the best versions of themselves.”  “Tell me what you think, not […]

Kelly connects with legendary Harvard professor Max Bazerman to talk about his new book: “Complicit: How We Enable the Unethical and How to Stop.” “When we collaborate with people who act in egregious ways, we are complicit in their harm.”  “Silence is an action. Blindly deferring to authority can lead to complicity.”  “Loyalty describes the best […]

Kelly talks to Christie Hunter Arscott, an award-winning advisor and speaker. She has a new book, it’s called: “Begin Boldly: How Women Can Reimagine Risk, Embrace Uncertainty, and Launch a Brilliant Career.” “The surprising truth: risks are good things, provided that they are taken thoughtfully and strategically.”  “Contrary to popular belief, language matters. How we label an […]

Kelly reconnects with Tracy Dawson, a Canadian American actor and writer who got her start at The Second City Toronto. Her new book is called “Let Me Be Frank: A Book About Women Who Dressed Like Men To Do S**t They Weren’t Supposed To Do.” “We all know that history books were written by the people who […]

Kelly gets to know Mike Evans, the founder of GrubHub, who has a new book called “Hangry: A Startup Journey.” “I am pretty good at quitting things.”  “The best way to start is to start.”  “If I learned anything creating GrubHub, it is this: be intentional.”

Kelly connects with Dandapani, a Hindu priest, entrepreneur, and a former monk of 10 years, to discuss his new book, “The Power of Unwavering Focus.” “We cannot leave it up to our environment to determine what we focus on. The outcome would be disastrous.”  “The world is an amusement park for awareness, though not all rides […]

Kelly ideates with Jeremy Utley, the Director of Executive Education at Stanford d.school and an Adjunct Professor at Stanford’s School of Engineering. He is the co-author with Perry Klebahn of the book “Ideaflow: The Only Business Metric That Matters.” “Traditional leadership and management training that prioritizes error-free efficiency runs counter to creativity, which involves divergence and dead […]

Kelly welcomes Dolly Chugh back to the podcast. Dolly is a social scientist at NYU’s Stern School of Business to discuss her new book “A More Just Future: Psychological Tools for Reckoning with Our Past and Driving Social Change.” “Bedtime stories often serve as accidental history lessons.”  “To see history for what it is, we […]

Kelly welcomes Friederike Fabritius back to the show. She is a neuroscientist and trailblazer in the field of neuro-leadership.  Her new book is called “The Brain Friendly Workplace: Why Talented People are Quitting and How to Get Them to Stay.” “A fun workplace is a brain-friendly workplace.” “You can’t actually practice meditation. What people practice when they sit […]

Kelly talks to Amy Gallo, a contributing editor at Harvard Business Review; the author of the “HBR Guide to Dealing with Conflict” and co-host of the HBR ‘Women at Work” podcast. Her new book is called “Getting Along: How to Work with Anyone (Even Difficult People).” “One study found that 94 percent of people reported working with […]

Kelly has an inspiring conversation with the great Annie Duke, who has see-sawed her way from academia to professional poker and back to academia. Her new book is called “Quit: The Power of Knowing When To Walk Away.” “Persistence is not always the best decision, certainly not absent of context. And context changes.”  “Contrary to […]

Kelly connects with Kathryn Finney, the Managing Partner of Genius Guild, a $20 million dollar venture fund & studio that invests in amazing Black founders. She is a serial entrepreneur and she’s written a new book: “Build the Damn Thing: How to Start a Successful Business if You’re Not a Rich White Guy.” “The world of startups […]

Kelly connects with social scientist David Livermore to discuss his new book:  “Digital, Diverse and Divided: How to Talk to Racists, Compete with Robots and Overcome Polarization.” “It’s hard to be a good human.”  “Shared problems are a proven way to overcome polarization.”  “Listen to many futurists and you would think that robotic engineers and therapists […]

Kelly takes a wild ride with University of Michigan professor of marketing Aaron Ahuvia to discuss his new book “The Things We Love: How Our Passions Connect Us and Make Us Who We Are.” “Loving things feels normal to us. But actually, it is deeply weird.”  “Did you ever wonder why there are women’s and men’s […]

Kelly connects with Joan Ball, an Associate Professor of Marketing at the Peter J. Tobin College of Business at St. John’s University to discuss her new book: “Stop, Ask, Explore: Learn to Navigate Change in Times of Uncertainty.”

Kelly talks with UCLA professor Cassie Holmes about her new book,  “Happier Hour: How to Beat Distraction, Expand Your Time, and Focus on What Matters Most.” “How we spend our time defines who we are, the memories we cherish, and how we will be remembered by those we leave behind.”  “My email inbox is my major […]

Kelly sits down with Wendy Smith , the Academic Director of the Women’s Leadership Initiative at the University of Delaware where she is also a Professor of Management, to talk about a new book she co-wrote with Marianne Lewis,  “Both/And Thinking: Embracing Creative Tensions to Solve Your Toughest Problems.”  “The greatest trigger for organizational failure is success.”  […]

Kelly connects with Russ Roberts, President of Shalem College in Jerusalem and the John and Jean De Nault Research Fellow at Stanford University’s Hoover Institution. He hosts the award-winning weekly podcast EconTalk and has a new book: “Wild Problems: A Guide to the Decisions that Define Us.” “Who volunteers for heartache and unease? Human beings.”  “As […]

Kelly connects with Simran Jeet Singh, the executive director of the Aspen Institute’s Program on Religion & Society. His new book is called “The Light We Give: How Sikh Wisdom Can Transform Your Life.” “I offer radical introspection as a tool that can keep us grounded in an age of rage.”  “We haven’t trained ourselves to listen. Listening […]

Kelly talks to Russ Laraway, whose impressive career led him from the Marine Corps to Wharton to Google and Twitter. They discuss his new book: “When They Win, You Win: Being a Great Manager is Simpler Than You Think.” “Almost no one applies for a job called leader.”  “Dysfunctional management at the senior level spreads like […]

Kelly connects with speaker and author D.J. Vanas to discuss his new book “The Warrior Within: Own Your Power to Serve, Fight, Protect and Heal.” “In our tribal communities, the warrior role was a spiritual endeavor as much as anything else.”   “Warriors didn’t just show up one day on a field of battle and expect victory. They […]

Kelly welcomes back performance expert Steve Magness to the podcast to talk about his new book “Do Hard Things: Why We Get Resilience Wrong and the Surprising Science of Real Toughness.”  “Toughness is about making the pull for closure amid uncertainty work with you, not against you.” “Feelings are messengers that nudge.” “If we listen, our […]

Kelly talks to Stanford Professor Andrea Small about her new book, “Navigating Ambiguity: Creating Opportunities in a World of Unknowns.” “The unknown is where creativity and ambiguity live.”  “Your greatest ideas might emerge when you have to improvise within a theme.”   “No single tactic works all the time, and a tactic that works well now might be kryptonite later. […]

Kelly crosses the Atlantic, talking to France-based couple Nathan Furr and Susannah Harmon Furr about their new book “The Upside of Uncertainty: A Guide to Finding Possibility in the Unkown.” “For better or worse, human beings are wired to fear uncertainty.”  “We live by stories.”  “We can’t activate ideas we don’t care about.” 

Kelly reconnects with Doctor Deborah Gilboa (Dr. G), a go-to expert on raising and educating respectful, responsible, resilient young people. She has a new book “From Stressed to Resilient: The Guide to Handle More and Feel Less.” Also, Deb used to work for Kelly at The Second City as a stage manager before she went to […]

Kelly speaks to Brian Elliott, Executive Leader at Future Forum and SVP at Slack, about this new book:  “How The Future Works: Leading Flexible Team to do the Best Work of Their Lives.”  “Digital-first is the backbone of flexible work.”  “Shared space is for teamwork first.”   “Always lead with why.” 

Kelly talks to Melissa Daimler, the Chief Learning Officer for Udemy who has also worked for Adobe, Twitter and WeWork. She has a new book: “ReCulturing: Design Your Company Culture to Connect with Strategy and Purpose for Lasting Success.” “Culture is active. It is something we do.”  “Listening is an overlooked management tool.”  “View challenges as […]

Kelly welcomes Eric Barker back to the podcast to talk about his new book:  “Plays Well With Others: The Surprising Science Behind Why Everything You Know About Relationships Is (Mostly) Wrong.”  “The solution is simple: more stories.”  “No one thinks they’re the problem, and that’s the problem.”  “We have a tendency to pay attention to the wrong signals.” 

Kelly is lucky enough to sit down with legendary sitcom director James Burrows to reflect on his work – from “The Mary Tyler Moore Show” to “Cheers” to “Friends” – and to talk about his new memoir, “Directed by James Burrows.” “I agonize over the laughter” “On my shows, we’re in the boat together.”  “Coming from […]

Kelly talks to University of Virginia professor Leidy Klotz about his fascinating book ‘Subtract: The Untapped Science of Less.’ “The problem is that we neglect subtraction.”  “Less is not a loss.”   “Too much information threatens our mental health.” 

Kelly connects with the amazing Dr. Adrienne Boissy about her work for both The Cleveland Clinic and Qualtrics: always looking to lead with empathy. “People can’t help if they don’t realize you’re suffering.” “Laughter is critically important.” “Perhaps we are all survivors of brokenness.”

Kelly welcomes back New York Times Best Selling author Daniel Coyle to talk about his new book: “The Culture Playbook: 60 Highly Effective Actions To Help Your Group Succeed.” “Embrace deep fun.” “Vulnerability doesn’t come after trust – it comes before.”  “Normalize uncomfortable conversations.” 

Kelly connects with leadership expert Stephen M.R. Covey to talk about his new book ‘Trust & Inspire: How Truly Great Leaders Unleash Greatness in Others.’ “Innovation is a team sport.”  “Everyone thinks everyone else is the problem.” “Life is about contribution, not accumulation.”

Kelly mixes things up with George Mason University professor to talk about his new book ‘The Art of Insubordination: How to Dissent & Defy Effectively.’ “Lone rebels don’t get very far on their own.”  “Practice deliberate humility.”  “Spark curiosity as opposed to fear.”

Kelly welcomes the always insightful Marcus Buckingham back to the podcast to talk his new book, “Love and Work,” which is a kind of manifesto to center love inside the work we do and in the workplace in general. “Work is for Love…Love is for work.” “Trust is just everything.” “Fear is pain for the […]

Kelly connects with writer Liz Fosslien to talk about her new book “Big Feelings: How To Be Okay When Things Are Not Okay. “When anger is justified, it’s a healthier response than fear.” “Anger can spark creativity.” “We’re not good at openly talking about these big feelings.”

Kelly sits down in the studio with his old friend Stephanie Rogers, the creator of Story Jam: A Live Lit Show, that combines storytelling and original music. 

Kelly welcomes back Chad Sanders to the show to talk about his new podcast “Quitters” that he hosts with Julie Bowen of “Modern Family” fame. “Quitting gets a bad rap.” “The skill of knowing when and what you quit is what gets you to success.”  “To be a great decision-maker, you need to quit a […]

Kelly welcomes back Georgetown professor Christine Porath to discuss her new book “Mastering Community: The Surprising Ways Coming Together Moves Us From Surviving to Thriving.” “Research shows that small daily interactions matter.” “Frame mistakes as just part of the game.” “Civility is a magnet.”

Kelly connects with Payal Kadakia, the founder of the fitness and wellness platform ClassPass, to talk about her new book “LifePass: Drop Your Limits, Rise To Your Potential.” “We are at our finest when we wear our differences with pride.” “It’s critical not to lose our sense of playful joy.” “True leaders align their heads and […]

Kelly has a provocative conversation with Washington Post writer Christine Emba whose new book is called “Rethinking Sex: A Provocation.”  “For something meant to bring pleasure, sex is causing a lot of pain.” “Sex is complex; consent treats it like a problem of arithmetic.” “Empathy is sexy.”

Kelly welcomes back Suneel Gupta and Anne Libera to the podcast. They are collaborating on a new class for Northwestern Universities Farley Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation – taking Suneel’s insights from his best-selling book “Backable” and creating bespoke improvisational practices for the students. “Most new ideas aren’t killed inside conference rooms. They’re killed inside […]

Kelly welcomes Yale scholar Zoe Chance back to the podcast to talk about her new book: “Influence is your Superpower: The Science of Winning Hearts, Sparking Change and Making Good Things Happen.” “Transactional influence treats people like objects.” “You attract other people’s attention by giving them yours.” “Framing is how spell casting works in the real […]

Kelly has a conversation with Yale Scholar Barry Nalebuff about his new book about negotiation: “Split the Pie: A Radical New Way to Negotiate.” “The starting point of any negotiation should be: what is at stake?” “The challenge in negotiation is to frame the problem correctly.” “It’s ironic that a concern for fairness can lead […]

Kelly connects with noted science writer Catherine Price to discuss her new book “The Power of Fun: How To Feel Alive Again.” “Our attention is the most valuable resource that we have.”“Our goal is to become fun magnets ourselves.”“Our brains have been hacked.”

Kelly catches up with noted University of Chicago scholar Ayelet Fishbach to discuss her new book “Get It Done: Surprising Lessons from the Science of Motivation.” “We thrive in groups and fall ill when alone.”“We often fail to learn from failure.”“Even the illusion of progress increases motivation.”

Kelly sits on the couch across from Whitney Goodman, the radically honest psychotherapist behind the popular Instagram account @sitwithwhit – to talk about her new book “Toxic Positivity.” “Most positivity lingo lacks nuance, compassion, and curiosity.” “Positive thinking is often a Band-Aid on a bullet wound.” “You’re not a Hallmark card. You’re human.” 

Kelly looks into the future with demographic futurist Bradley Schurman whose new book is called “The Super Age: Decoding Our Demographic Destiny.” “During the twentieth century, global average life expectancy nearly doubled.” “The historic attitudes towards aging and the older population are counterintuitive and counterproductive.” “Adults have always had a tendency to chase after youth.”  

Kelly welcomes Daniel Pink back to the podcast. The bestselling author has a new book called “The Power of Regret: How Looking Backward Moves Us Forward.” “Human beings are both seasoned time travelers and skilled fabulists.” “People regret inactions more than actions” “Open the hood of regret, and you’ll see that the engine powering it […]

Kelly commiserates with NYU professor Tessa West about her new book,  “Jerks at Work: Toxic Coworkers and What To Do About Them.” “The antidote to jerks at work is friends at work.” “Bad behavior at work is contagious.” “Record keeping is kryptonite to gaslighters.” #collaboration#leadership#resilience

Kelly sits down with Paul Denniston, the founder of Grief Yoga, to talk about his new book, “Healing Through Yoga: Transform Loss Into Empowerment.” “There is no one ‘right’ way to do this.” “If you focus on the body, you quiet the mind.” “Our grief is love that doesn’t know where to go.” #resilience #connection […]

Kelly connects with public theologian, activist and minister, The Reverend Doctor Jacqui Lewis to talk about her new book, “Fierce Love: A Bold Path to Ferocious Courage and Rule-Breaking Kindness That Can Heal The World.” “Humans become human because of stories.” “To be good to others, you must practice being good to yourself.”  “Fierce love […]

Kelly talks to Deana Criess whose work at the Perkins School for the Blind has her teaching improvisation to the visually impaired. 

Kelly connects with two professors at the Kellogg School a Northwestern to discuss their new book The Human Element: Overcoming the Resistance that Awaits New Ideas.

Kelly speaks to noted science writer Annie Murphy Paul about her fascinating book, The Extended Mind: The Power of Thinking Outside the Brain.

Kelly talks to the Co-Founder and CEO of Delivering Happiness about her new book, Beyond Happiness: How Authentic Leaders Prioritize Purpose and People for Growth and Impact.

Kelly is delighted to sit down with acclaimed playwright Sarah Ruhl to discuss her new book Smile: The Story of a Face.

Kelly dedicates this show to his boss as he connects with Journalist Jennifer Moss whose new book is called  The Burnout Epidemic: The Rise of Chronic Stress and How We Can Fix It.

Kelly connects with Cornell professor Vanessa Bohns to discuss her new book, You Have More Influence Than You Think: How We Underestimate Our Power of Persuasion, and Why It Matters.

Kelly converses with scholar Paul Bloom whose new book is called The Sweet Spot: The Pleasures of Suffering and the Search for Meaning.

Kelly connects with Joe Sanok, host of the popular “The Practice of the Practice” podcast and the author of Thursday is the New Friday: How to Work Fewer Hours, Make More Money and Spend Time Doing What You Want.

Kelly Zooms with Michael Chavez, the former CEO of Duke Corporate Education, to discuss his book, Rehumanizing Leadership.

Kelly has a provocative conversation with writer, speaker and lawyer Savala Nolan, whose new book is called Don’t Let It Get You Down: Essays on Race, Gender and the Body.

Kelly has a fascinating conversation with Harvard professor Julie Battilana about her new book, which examines the science behind power and how it’s not something anyone can solely possess. 

Kelly has a wide ranging discussion with the multi-talented Rosie Von Lila whose work has taken her from finance to Burning Man to the US National Defense University.

Kelly connects with Grammy-Award winning singer/songwriter Mary Gauthier to talk about her compelling new memoir, Saved by a Song.

Kelly looks into the future of work and learning with noted expert Gary Bolles whose new book is called The Next Rules of Work: The Mindset, Skillset, and Toolset to Lead Your Organization Through Uncertainty.

Kelly catches up with Pam Victor, the Head of Happiness (aka founder and president) of Happier Valley Comedy, who shares a passion for improvisation as it is applied to personal well being.

Kelly welcomes Linnea Gandhi back to the podcast to talk about the work she did as “Chief of Staff” for the new book “Noise,” by Daniel Kahneman, Olivier Sibony and Cass Sunstein. Enter a special discount code, YESAND75 for $75 off when you enroll in the program!

Kelly connects with NYU professor Jay J. Van Bavel to talk about his new book The Power of Us: Harnessing Our Shared Identities to Improve Performance, Increase Cooperation and Promote Social Harmony.

Kelly connects with authors Robert Pozen and Alexandra Samuel about their new book, Remote Work: How to Thrive at Work…Wherever You Are.

Kelly connects with CEO Erica Dhawan, who offers amazing insights into the many ways we need to alter the way we communicate through digital spaces.

Kelly connects with therapist Nedra Glover Tawwab to talk about her new book, Set Boundaries, Find Peace: A Guide to Reclaiming Yourself.

Kelly talks to resiliency expert Paula Davis about her new book, “Beating Burnout at Work: Why Teams Hold The Secret to Well-Being and Resilience.”

Kelly sits down with entrepreneur Luke Burgis to talk about his new book that explores the theories of French historian Rene Girard.

Kelly introduces us to professor Don Waisanen, whose new book, Improv for Democracy, offers that improv-based teaching and training can help the world. 

Kelly connects with Chief Learning Officer of Kraft Heinz, Ekpedeme “Pamay” Bassey about her time visiting a variety of sacred spaces, including her stint taking improv classes at The Second City. Both her books, Navigating Sacred Spaces, and Let’s Learn Our Way Through It, Shall We are available everywhere.