The nuclear family structure that Americans think of as traditional is actually a relatively recent convention. And for a lot of folks, it isn’t quite working. More and more people are rethinking who they want to live with and how they want to raise children, and are willing to brave legal hurdles and social stigma to give something else a try. Jaymes Black is the CEO of the organization Family Equality, which works to help LGBTQ+ families thrive. They join NPR producer and editor Rhaina Cohen, the author of “The Other Significant Others: Reimagining Life with Friendship at the Center,” for this talk on choosing the family that works for you. Podcast host Kelly Corrigan of “Kelly Corrigan Wonders” moderates the conversation, which was recorded at the 2024 Aspen Ideas Festival. “The Other Significant Others” comes out in paperback on June 17.
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54:40
The Tragedy and Comedy of Being Raised by Hollywood with Griffin Dunne
A privileged childhood in Hollywood surrounded by entertainment industry characters gave actor, producer and director Griffin Dunne a wealth of stories. Some are about the kind of funny and charming encounters with glittery names that you might expect. But others are tragically life-altering, such as his sister’s murder by her ex-boyfriend and the excruciating high-profile trial that followed. Dunne got it all down on paper and published “The Friday Afternoon Club: A Family Memoir” last year. He spoke at the 2024 Aspen Ideas Festival with his longtime friend and fellow actor and producer Fisher Stevens about reliving years of hilarity and pain while writing the book.
aspenideas.org
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49:55
How to Supercommunicate with Charles Duhigg
Communication is about a lot more than the words coming out of our mouths. We often hear each other, but don’t really listen. Or we understand the literal meaning of what someone is saying, but we seem to miss the point and fail to connect. What’s happening in our brains in those situations? And why is it sometimes so hard to do something we’ve been doing since we were children? New Yorker writer Charles Duhigg set out to find the answers to these questions in his latest book, “Supercommunicators: The Science of Conversation and Connection.” In this talk at the 2024 Aspen Ideas Festival, Duhigg explains that there aren’t any secret talents required in becoming a supercommunicator. All you have to do is understand a few concepts and learn and practice a few basic skills. He breaks down what’s going on when two people are talking to each other and demonstrates the methods he’s researched with some audience participation exercises.
aspenideas.org
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47:58
Breaking Down Mental Health Stigma: NBA Stars DeMar DeRozan and Kevin Love Get Real
In 2018, professional basketball superstar DeMar DeRozan gave the world a dose of reality when he tweeted about struggling with depression. Even though he was in the middle of NBA All-Star weekend – an achievement many people think is the ultimate dream – he didn’t want to leave his hotel room. He was just looking to be truly seen and heard, but he ended up starting an important conversation and becoming a devoted advocate for mental health issues. And he inspired fellow NBA player Kevin Love to speak out not long after with an essay about dealing with longtime anxiety and depression. The two players have given countless hours since then to breaking mental health stigmas and guiding honest conversations about success, money and true happiness. DeRozan also published a book about his mental health journey last year called “Above the Noise: My Story of Chasing Calm.” For Mental Health Awareness month in May, we’re bringing back a conversation between the two players and performance psychologist Michael Gervais. This talk was recorded at the 2019 Aspen Ideas Festival.
aspenideas.org
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54:24
The Question of Happiness
For centuries, people have tried to get to the bottom of what makes us happy. Recent studies show regular sex makes people happiest and commuting is when we’re most unhappy. And, happiness levels fluctuate throughout life. “Happiness follows a u-shaped curve,” says author and columnist David Brooks. “People are happier in their twenties. They typically decline and hit their bottom happiness category at age 47 and they tend to get happier as they get older.” These findings, though, may not tell the whole story. How does the consideration of purpose, meaning, and virtue change the definition of happiness? What can we learn from ancient philosophers, America’s forefathers, and our own modern-day culture about the journey to joy? Jeffrey Rosen, author of “The Pursuit of Happiness: How Classical Writers on Virtue Inspired the Lives of the Founders and Defined America,” Sarah Lewis, founder of the Vision and Justice Project, Adam Gopnik, author of “All That Happiness Is: Some Words on What Matters,” and Tamar Gendler, dean and philosophy professor at Yale University, join Brooks to discuss the question of happiness. This talk was recorded at the 2024 Aspen Ideas Festival.
aspenideas.org
Aspen Ideas to Go is a show about bold ideas that will open your mind. Featuring compelling conversations with the world’s top thinkers and doers from a diverse range of disciplines, Aspen Ideas to Go gives you front-row access to the Aspen Ideas Festival.
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