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In this season of WorkLife, we’re pairing each of our regular episodes with a companion interview to do a deeper dive into the topic. This is the companion for our episode on the secrets of a great apology. Michael McCullough is a psychology professor at UC San Diego and a pioneer in the study of forgiveness, gratitude, and empathy—he finds that although forgiveness is important, it isn’t always the answer to conflict. Michael and Adam discuss why humans evolved to forgive, examine what causes people to hold grudges, and settle last episode’s debate about whether it’s appropriate to ask for forgiveness.     Learn more about our flagship conference happening this April at attend.ted.com/podcast Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

When has healthcare advice become so complicated? And how should we be thinking about long-term wellness? Zeke Emanuel is an oncologist and bioethnicist whose latest book, Eat Your Ice Cream, might sound paradoxical against modern health trends and wellness noise. Zeke joins Shoshana to discuss what healthy aging looks like and why it’s never too late to practice health habits. Talk featured TED-Ed: The 3 best predictors of how well you’ll age | Juulia Jylhava Learn more about our flagship conference happening this April at attend.ted.com/podcast Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

From Grey’s Anatomy to The Pitt, medical tv shows depict TV deaths and illnesses all the time, but they’re rarely explored in depth. In this episode from the 2025 End Well Summit, Shoshana is in conversation with Tembi Locke, executive producer of From Scratch, Nikki Boyer, creator of Dying for Sex, and Katherine LaNasa, Emmy-award winning actress on The Pitt, on how TV showrunners can reshape dialogues around death and help everyone rethink end of life care for their loved ones. Learn more about our flagship conference happening this April at attend.ted.com/podcast Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Yohanis Riek went from herding cattle and fighting as a child soldier to becoming the first doctor in his community in South Sudan. He shares his journey to found a nonprofit bringing health care to remote communities — empowering locals to take charge of their own health, as the world's newest country finds its place in the world. (Following the talk, Lily James Olds, director of the TED Fellows program, interviews Riek on the effect of USAID withdrawal in South Sudan and why he’s choosing to stay in his home country to better serve local populations.) Learn more about our flagship conference happening this April at attend.ted.com/podcast Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Food is supposed to nourish us, but what happens when it sends us to the hospital instead? In this episode, Emma Bryce asks whether it is safe to eat cookie dough. Then Nicola Twilley shares how the kitchen refrigerator transforms our lives – and our relationship to food. Talks Featured Is it really that bad to eat cookie dough? - Emma Bryce How the fridge changed food - Nicola Twilley Learn more about our flagship conference happening this April at attend.ted.com/podcast Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

DNA carries the code for carrying out biological life, yet DNA is an unstable molecule. The reality is that DNA in all organisms is in a dynamic state with its environment, constantly becoming damaged and undergoing processes for damage reversal and repair. In this TEDx talk, Dr. Linda Chelico, a professor who research spans biochemistry, virology, and cancer biology, discuss how understanding DNA can lead to new insights on cancer treatments. Learn more about our flagship conference happening this April at attend.ted.com/podcast Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Eric Green is a genomic researcher whose work with the Human Genome Project on mapping and sequencing DNA has revolutionized the medical field. From sampling patients’ DNA through blood tests to screen for diseases to identifying which medicine works best with your DNA, Green argues that genomic sequencing isn’t just effective—it’s economical. Learn more about our flagship conference happening this April at attend.ted.com/podcast Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Software engineer Adam Munder is on a mission to break down communication barriers between the Deaf and hearing worlds. In a live demo, he introduces OmniBridge — an AI platform that translates American Sign Language into English text in real time — and demonstrates how this tech could ensure every conversation can be fully understood, regardless of the participants' hearing abilities. Munder is joined onstage by ASL interpreter Christan Hansen and TED’s Hasiba Haq. Learn more about our flagship conference happening this April at attend.ted.com/podcast Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Neuroscientist Jennifer Pfeifer digs into the fascinating brain changes driving young people’s behavior during the critical years of adolescence. She debunks some of the biggest misunderstandings about teens — including puberty, hormones and the impact of social media on mental health — and shows how to support kids during this period of growth and possibility. Learn more about our flagship conference happening this April at attend.ted.com/podcast Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

From negotiating food choices to limiting screen time, raising healthy kids is complicated—but it doesn’t have to be, says pediatrician Dr. Shari Barkin. Dr. Barkin joins Shoshana to talk about the ways caregivers can carve out 10 minutes of their day to model a healthy lifestyle and help everyone in the family thrive. Talk featured: Inside the mind of a newborn baby - Claudia Passos Ferreira Learn more about our flagship conference happening this April at attend.ted.com/podcast Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Whether it’s micromanaging playtime, constantly hovering or incessantly texting, the adult takeover of childhood has created a crisis of anxiety in both children and parents. In this episode, Lenore Skenazy, cofounder and president Let Grow, an organization dedicated to normalizing childhood independence, lays out the unexpected benefits of letting our kids be a bit more “free range.” Then psychologist Mathilde H Ross makes the case on why parents should trust their instinct instead of chasing trends. Talks Featured Why you should spend less time with your kids - Lenore Skenazy Is parenting advice leading to more anxious kids? - Mathilde H. Ross Learn more about our flagship conference happening this April at attend.ted.com/podcast Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Bombarded with health headlines? Unsure how to discern fact from fiction? Social scientist Matthew Facciani breaks down identity politics and the psychology that shapes our most deeply held views. He discusses how healthcare professionals can do better at communicating public health policy to everyday people and why following someone whose viewpoint you disagree with can help you reflect on your biases. Talk Featured 3 questions to ask before buying into health trends - Dr. Karen Dawe Learn more about our flagship conference happening this April at attend.ted.com/podcast Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The rapidly evolving field of protein design is revealing solutions to some of the world’s greatest problems, whether it's blocking a virus, breaking down a pollutant or creating brand-new materials. In conversation with TED’s Whitney Pennington Rodgers, biochemist David Baker explores his team’s Nobel Prize-winning work using AI to design new proteins with functions never before seen in nature — achieving breakthroughs that have fundamentally changed the future of science. (This conversation was part of an exclusive TED Membership event. TED Membership is the best way to support and engage with the big ideas you love from TED. To learn more, visit ted.com/membership.) Learn more about our flagship conference happening this April at attend.ted.com/podcast Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Can AI compress the years long research time of a PhD into seconds? Research scientist Max Jaderberg explores how “AI analogs” simulate real-world lab work with staggering speed and scale, unlocking new insights on protein folding and drug discovery. Drawing on his experience working on Isomorphic Labs' and Google DeepMind's AlphaFold 3 — an AI model for predicting the structure of molecules — Jaderberg explains how this new technology frees up researchers' time and resources to better understand the real, messy world and tackle the next frontiers of science, medicine and more. Learn more about our flagship conference happening this April at attend.ted.com/podcast Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode, Shoshana invites Dr. Vivek Murthy, the 19th and 21st Surgeon General of the United States, to discuss the ongoing loneliness epidemic. After the interview, Shoshana shares a TED-Ed talk from Terry Kupers, "What happens to your brain without social contact?" Everyone needs time to themselves, and peaceful solitude has stress-relieving benefits. But when being alone is forced upon you, the effects can be surprisingly extensive. And though different people experience distinct effects, symptoms tend to become more severe and persistent the longer they're isolated. So, how exactly does isolation affect your body and brain? Terry Kupers investigates. [Directed by Camille Bovey, narrated by Addison Anderson, music by Stephen LaRosa]. Learn more about our flagship conference happening this April at attend.ted.com/podcast Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.