Whether internal or outward, the circumstances we’re thrust into invariably shape who we become, and the mark we make on the world. Here are the stories of three people who’ve adapted to exceptionally harsh environments by tapping into untold reserves of imagination and moral courage: Ed Dwight, a former Air Force pilot who faced insurmountable hostility in training to become the first African-American astronaut, and later emerged as a world- renowned sculptor whose art honors racial...

In life and in art, self-reinvention can let us escape expectation and realize our purpose in an otherwise unattainable way. And yet there’s also a danger in drifting too far from the confines of reality. A layered meditation on the fluidity of identity, “A Man Is Not His Song” centers on three people who pushed the limits of persona in their life’s work: Marc Ruskin, an FBI agent who spent over 20 years undercover, juggling 12 different identities as he infiltrated mafia families, drug...

No matter what form it takes, abuse leaves us indelibly altered, often consumed by an emotional confusion that feels impossible to untangle. In this episode, we hear from three people with firsthand experience of abuse, each speaking from a profoundly different perspective. Rachel Jeffs recounts escaping the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints after years of suffering sexual abuse by her cult leader and father Warren Jeffs, while documentarian Attiya Khan recollects the...

Though it’s invisible and formless, the wind is one of the most formidable forces in the universe. In this episode, three guests reflect on their life-changing experience with the wind, inviting a new sense of awe for the natural world. A professional storm-chaser known as “the tornado hunter,” Greg Johnson recalls the terror and wonder of getting caught in one of the most monstrous tornados ever recorded. Sailor/adventurer Sara Hastreiter looks back on competing in a nine-month-long race...

Why do some years of our lives seem to pass by in a flash, when the smallest of moments can feel infinitely frozen? In “Century,” two voices offer their radically different perspectives on the sensation of time: Centenarian Margaret Shein shares that time speeds by much faster after having lived for an entire century, while Joy Simmonds details a terrifying car accident where she felt suspended in time and found an odd sense of peace. Adding to the mystery of time’s physicality, geology...

Though it’s invisible and formless, the wind is one of the most formidable forces in the universe. In this episode, three guests reflect on their life-changing experience with the wind, inviting a new sense of awe for the natural world. A professional storm-chaser known as “the tornado hunter,” Greg Johnson recalls the terror and wonder of getting caught in one of the most monstrous tornados ever recorded. Sailor/adventurer Sara Hastreiter looks back on competing in a nine-month-long race...

Is monogamy really so tied to stability—or can a more open approach lead to stronger and deeper relationships? As social psychologist Lucia O’Sullivan shares findings from decades of intimacy research, two couples shed light on their unconventional partnerships: Adult-film actress/director/writer Joanna Angel and her actor husband Small Hands speak to the complexities of commitment in the alt-porn world, while polyamorous couple Mutamba and Olivia discuss navigating their wildly different...

What does it mean to stay "young"? What does it mean to become "old" before your time? Is age chronological, or is it a state of mind? Is aging inevitable? Or is it a conscious choice, one informed by our sense of what’s possible and by the premium we put on unmitigated joy? In “Young Up,” we’re let in on the secret to turning back the clock, thanks to three ageless women who’ve followed their hearts to extraordinary second acts: Kittie Weston-Knauer, a retired school principal and oldest...

When the outside world is at odds with our very humanity, everyday life is an endless threat, one that requires constant self-protection. In “I’m Not Running Away,” we meet three people who spent much of their lives hiding their truth, then confronted their fear and courageously stepped from the shadows. Guests include transgender advocate and triathlete Chris Mosier (the first known trans athlete to join a U.S. national team different from his birth-assigned gender), immigration activist...

How do we regain hope when our dreams end in ruin? In “Lost Dreams,” we hear the stories of three people who followed their deepest passion and endured devastation: Perdita Felicien, a world-champion hurdler who was favored to win gold at the 2004 Olympics, then tripped and fell in what would be her last-ever appearance on the Olympic track; Dylan Evans, an esteemed psychologist who abandoned his academic career to build a utopian community in the Scottish Highlands, only to see that...

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Your first listen to a new podcast from Feist.