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Kelly talks with Erik LeDrew, a photojournalist and US Army veteran who transitioned from the chaos of combat to the chaos of filmmaking. He wrote and co-directed “Alex vs. ARod” for HBO, a fantastic documentary that looks at the life and career of baseball great Alex Rodriguez.  “Once you do something like join the US […]

Kelly sits down with Jake Braun, who has worked at the intersection of politics, national security, and foreign policy for over two decades and was appointed to prominent roles in the Obama and Biden administrations. He wrote the book “Democracy in Danger,” and he has a new book, “Fentanyl: Fighting the Mass Poisoning of America […]

Kelly connects with Dr. Khameer Kidia, a writer, physician, and anthropologist at Harvard Medical School and University of Zimbabwe. A Rhodes Scholar and 2023 New American Fellow, Dr. Kidia has worked on global mental health research practice, and advocacy for the last decade. He has a new book, “Empire of Madness: A Physician’s Case for […]

Kelly speaks with Erin McGoff, an award-winning filmmaker and content creator – known as the “internet’s big sister” through her AdviceWithErin branding. She received a Pulitzer Fellowship in 2017 and was named a Forbes 30 under 30 recipient in 2025. She has a new book: “The Secret Language of Work: Hyper-Helpful Scripts for Every Situation.” […]

Kelly connects with Julia Minson, a professor at Harvard Kennedy School. She is a behavioral scientist with extensive research experience in conflict, communication, negotiations, and decision-making. She has a new book: “How to Disagree Better.” 

Kelly talks to Joe Pine, an internationally acclaimed author, speaker, and management advisor to Fortune 500 companies and entrepreneurial start-ups alike. He is a co-founder of Strategic Horizons LLP, a thinking studio dedicated to helping businesses conceive and design new ways to add value to their economic offerings. He is the co-author of the best-seller “The Experience […]

Kelly spends time with Jane Marie Chen, a globally recognized entrepreneur, inventor, speaker, and leadership coach. She is the co-founder of Embrace, which developed an infant incubator that has helped to save over a million babies. Jane has been a TED fellow and a Young Global Leader of the World Economic Forum. She has a new memoir, “Like […]

Kelly talks to Jenny Raymond from the Harnish Foundation and Julie Dumais Osborne from The Second City Training Center to talk about a new partnership that offers free improv-based leadership training for girls in grades 3 through 8 in Chicago called Funny Girls. The best part: IT’S FREE! For more information or to sign up […]

Kelly welcomes futurist Bob Johansen back to the podcast to discuss his book “Navigating the Age of Chaos.” Bob introduces us to the term BANI, which describes the world we live in now: Brittle, Anxious, Nonlinear, and Incomprehensible. Spoiler alert – improvisation is a skill one needs to navigate this world. “In the mid-2010’s, everything […]

Kelly talks to Harvard professor Leslie John, whose research into self-disclosure provides a rich source of insights into how we can better build relationships, foster connection, and lead a more purposeful life when we are willing to be vulnerable and share details of our lives with others. “If in doubt, transparency is the safer bet.”  […]

In this engaging conversation, Kelly connects with Paul Eastwick to discuss his new book, ‘Bonded by Evolution,’ exploring misconceptions about love and connection. He critiques the outdated ‘Evo script’ that shapes our understanding of attraction and relationships, emphasizing the impact of modern dating practices. Eastwick highlights the fluidity of attraction, the importance of close relationships, […]

Journalist Kate Murphy has a compelling conversation with Kelly about her new book “Why We Click: The Emerging Science of Interpersonal Synchrony.” In this conversation, Kelly and Kate find a direct line between improvisational training and the kind of synchrony that leads to better relationships, more effective teams and the superpowers that flow from human […]

In this conversation, Kelly welcomes best-selling author Daniel Coyle back to the podcast. His new book, “Flourish: The Art of Building Meaning, Joy and Fulfillment,” emphasizes the significance of meaningful moments in life, particularly in fostering relationships and collaboration. He discusses how these moments often occur during ritual-like pauses where individuals reflect on their purpose […]

Kelly talks to former Obama White House EPA official Judith Enck, whose new book is called  “The Problem with Plastic: How We Can Save Ourselves and Our Planet Before It’s Too Late.”  “Don’t microwave food in plastic.”  “Plastics are on track to surpass coal emissions in the United States.”  “Get rid of all black plastic in your kitchen.”

In this engaging conversation, Kelly Leonard speaks with the Right Reverend Mariann Edgar Budde about her experiences as a leader, the nature of courage, and the lessons learned through parenting, grief, and improvisation. They explore the importance of speaking truth to power, the challenges of navigating loss, and the role of risk in personal growth. Budde emphasizes […]